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  What it means

  Literally “don’t divide the skin while it’s still on the bear.” Don’t count your chickens before they hatch — don’t make promises or plans based on something you haven’t secured yet.

  Vocabulary

  • dzielić — to divide / to share
  • skóra — skin / hide
  • niedźwiedź — bear

  Grammar note

  Imperative negation: 'nie dziel.' 'Skóry' is genitive of 'skóra' — after negated verbs Polish uses genitive. 'Na niedźwiedziu' is locative of 'niedźwiedź' after 'na.'

  Cultural context

  A hunter's proverb: you don't divide the bear's pelt among your friends before you've actually caught the bear. Practical wisdom from the forest.

  Intermediate

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