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  What it means

  What little Jaś doesn’t learn, Jan will not know — skills and habits not acquired in childhood are very hard to develop in adulthood.

  English equivalent

  You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

  Vocabulary

  • Jaś — Johnny, little Jan (diminutive)
  • nauczyć się — to learn, to master
  • Jan — John (adult form)
  • umieć — to know how to, to be able to

  Grammar note

  Genitive of negation: 'czego się nie nauczy' and 'tego nie będzie umiał' — both use genitive after negated verbs.

  Cultural context

  The shift from the affectionate diminutive 'Jaś' to the plain adult name 'Jan' carries the whole meaning of the proverb.

  Intermediate

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