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  What it means

  Literally: “For a lonely person, the world is a desert.” When someone is alone, even a full and busy world can feel empty. It can express sympathy, encourage someone to seek company, or simply point to the human need for connection.

  English equivalent

  No man is an island. / Loneliness is the poverty of the soul.

  Vocabulary

  • samotnemu — for the lonely one (dative singular of samotny, adjective used as noun)
  • świat — world (masculine noun, nominative)
  • pustynia — desert, wasteland (feminine noun, nominative)

  Grammar note

  'Samotnemu' is the dative form of 'samotny' (lonely), used as a noun: 'a lonely person'. The dative shows whose view is meant: for that person, the world is a desert. The verb 'jest' (is) is left out, as often happens in proverbs.

  Cultural context

  Polish life has long centred on family, village, and parish, so isolation was often seen as a hardship. The desert is a strong image in a country better known for forests and plains.

  Intermediate

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