Ten się śmieje, kto się śmieje ostatni
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What it means
“He who laughs last, laughs best.” Do not celebrate too soon. What matters is who wins in the end, not who has an early advantage.
English equivalent
He who laughs last, laughs longest.
Vocabulary
- śmiać się — to laugh
- ostatni — last
Grammar note
'Ten' is a demonstrative pronoun used as the subject. The relative clause 'kto się śmieje ostatni' identifies who 'ten' refers to.
Cultural context
This is a very familiar Polish proverb, used in everyday speech by people of all ages.
Beginner
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