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  What it means

  “If the little goat hadn’t jumped, it wouldn’t have broken its little legs.” If you hadn’t taken a reckless risk, you wouldn’t have suffered the consequences. Used to point out that trouble was self-inflicted.

  English equivalent

  You've made your bed, now lie in it.

  Vocabulary

  • kózka — little goat (diminutive of koza)
  • skakać — to jump
  • nóżka — little leg (diminutive of noga)
  • złamać — to break

  Grammar note

  The diminutives 'kózka' and 'nóżki' soften the tone while the conditional 'gdyby…toby' structure is a textbook example of Polish counterfactual conditionals.

  Cultural context

  A very well-known proverb, often said to children or anyone who ignored warnings and got hurt as a result.

  Beginner

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