• Listen

  What it means

  “Even if he drinks, even if he beats, as long as he’s there.” A darkly ironic proverb about the desperation of women (historically) to have a husband at any cost, tolerating abuse rather than face the social stigma of being alone.

  Vocabulary

  • choćby — even if
  • pić — to drink (here: to drink excessively)
  • bić — to beat, to hit
  • byle — as long as, provided that
  • być — to be (here: to be present, to exist as a husband)

  Grammar note

  Three parallel 'choćby/byle' clauses, all using the conditional mood. The rhyme pił / bił / był makes it memorable.

  Cultural context

  This proverb is now cited critically as evidence of historical gender inequality and the social pressure on women to remain in abusive relationships. It is not endorsed as advice.

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!