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  What it means

  What little Jasio did not learn, Jan will not learn either — skills and habits not acquired in childhood are very hard to pick up as an adult.

  English equivalent

  You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

  Vocabulary

  • Jasio — little Johnny (diminutive of Jan)
  • nauczyć się — to learn
  • Jan — John (adult form)

  Grammar note

  'Czego' is the genitive of 'co', used after negation — 'what (he) did not learn'.

  Cultural context

  Part of the Jasio/Jan proverb family emphasising early childhood education.

  Intermediate

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