• Listen

  What it means

  Bread is good when you have no cake. Plain things become precious when better alternatives are unavailable.

  English equivalent

  Half a loaf is better than none.

  Vocabulary

  • kołacz — kołacz (a rich braided bread or cake)
  • masz — you have

  Grammar note

  'Nie masz' is an archaic second-person singular form of 'nie mieć' (not to have), equivalent to modern 'nie masz'.

  Cultural context

  Kołacz is a traditional Polish festive bread, richer than everyday chleb. The contrast underlines the relativity of satisfaction.

  Beginner

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!