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  What it means

  Literally, “work that is put off is worth little.” The saying warns that delay can reduce a task’s value, either because late work loses quality or because constant postponement becomes a problem itself. It encourages people to start promptly and is used to criticise procrastination.

  English equivalent

  Procrastination is the thief of time.

  Vocabulary

  • praca — work / task (nominative singular)
  • odkładana — put off / postponed (present passive participle of 'odkładać', agreeing with 'praca')
  • niewiele — little / not much (adverb)
  • warta — worth (short-form adjective, feminine to agree with 'praca'; from 'warty')

  Grammar note

  The saying uses the short adjective 'warta' (worth) rather than the full 'warta jest'; the verb 'jest' is omitted, as it often is in maxims. 'Odkładana' is a present passive participle: 'praca odkładana' means 'work that is being put off'. The short form 'warta' is used only as a predicate, not before a noun.

  Cultural context

  Like many sayings about delay, this one warns against wasting time and opportunities. It is slightly formal and more common in proverb collections or among older speakers. In daily Polish, many speakers would simply say: 'nie odkładaj na później' (don't put it off till later).

  Intermediate

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