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  What it means

  “Even if the bread is rye, as long as there’s plenty of it.” Humble food in abundance is better than fine food in short supply. Quantity over quality when it comes to basic sustenance.

  English equivalent

  Better a full belly with plain food than an empty one with fancy fare.

  Vocabulary

  • choćby — even if, even though
  • chleb — bread
  • rżany — rye (adjective, archaic form of żytni)
  • byle — as long as, provided that
  • leżany — lying around, plentiful (dialectal: there's enough of it)

  Grammar note

  'Choćby … był' uses the conditional/concessive subjunctive. 'Byle leżany' is an elliptical clause: 'as long as it lies [in abundance]'.

  Cultural context

  Rye bread (chleb żytni) was the everyday staple of Polish peasants; wheat bread was a luxury. The proverb reflects the pragmatic acceptance of simple food.

  Intermediate

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