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  What it means

  Man is a wolf to man — people can be cruel and predatory towards one another.

  English equivalent

  Man is wolf to man. / Homo homini lupus.

  Vocabulary

  • wilk — wolf

  Grammar note

  'Człowiekowi' is the dative case — 'to man'. The predicate noun 'wilkiem' is in the instrumental case, standard after 'być' (to be).

  Cultural context

  A Latin phrase (homo homini lupus, attributed to Plautus) that entered Polish as a proverb.

  Intermediate

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