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  What it means

  As the root, so the tops; as the daughter, so the mother. A rustic proverb about inherited character — the plant metaphor (root and leafy tops) mirrors the family one (mother and daughter).

  English equivalent

  Like mother, like daughter.

  Vocabulary

  • korzeń — root
  • nać — leafy tops of a root vegetable
  • córka — daughter
  • mać — mother (archaic/dialectal)

  Grammar note

  The proverb uses two parallel correlatives and ends with a rhyme: 'nać / mać'. 'Jaki' (masculine) agrees with 'korzeń'; 'taka' (feminine) agrees with 'nać' and 'córka'.

  Intermediate

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