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  What it means

  Fortune turns like a wheel — luck is always changing. What goes up must come down, and vice versa.

  Vocabulary

  • fortuna — fortune, luck
  • koło — wheel, circle
  • toczyć się — to roll, to turn

  Grammar note

  'Kołem' is the instrumental of 'koło', expressing manner: 'rolls as a wheel / in the manner of a wheel'. The reflexive 'się toczy' indicates self-propelled motion.

  Cultural context

  The image of the Wheel of Fortune (Rota Fortunae) is ancient and pan-European. This Polish form is a direct descendant of that classical tradition.

  Beginner

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