Sowa na dachu kwili, komuś umrzeć po chwili
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What it means
“The owl wails on the roof — someone will die shortly.” A folk omen: hearing an owl cry near the house foretells a death in the family.
Vocabulary
- sowa — owl
- dach — roof
- kwilić — to wail, to whimper
- umrzeć — to die
- po chwili — shortly, in a moment
Grammar note
'Komuś umrzeć' is an impersonal dative construction meaning 'someone is to die'.
Cultural context
In Polish folk belief the owl's cry near a home was a death omen. This proverb reflects that superstition.
Intermediate
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