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  What it means

  “The woman her thing, the old man his thing.” Neither side gives an inch. A picture of two equally stubborn people going round in circles, each repeating their own view without listening to the other.

  Vocabulary

  • baba — woman (folk/colloquial)
  • swoje — one's own thing (accusative of swój)
  • dziad — old man (folk term)

  Grammar note

  Elliptical structure: 'baba [mówi/robi] swoje, dziad [mówi/robi] swoje'. The verb is dropped, which is typical of proverbs.

  Cultural context

  One of a family of 'baba swoje' proverbs. The chłop, dziad, and czart variants all share the same structure and meaning.

  Beginner

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