• Listen

  What it means

  “Playing hearts builds manners.” A rhyming saying suggesting that card games — particularly hearts — teach social graces and etiquette. Often used humorously.

  Vocabulary

  • gra — game, play
  • kiery — hearts (card suit)
  • wyrabiać — to develop, to build (habits)
  • maniery — manners

  Grammar note

  'Gra w kiery' — 'w' with the accusative to express the game being played. 'Wyrabia' is third-person singular present of 'wyrabiać'.

  Cultural context

  The rhyme (kiery / maniery) gives this saying its memorable quality. Card games were a staple of Polish social life.

  Intermediate

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