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  What it means

  “When a peasant has many children, he is rich; when a nobleman has many children, he is poor.” For a peasant, children mean more hands to work the land — wealth. For a nobleman, children mean the estate must be divided — poverty. A sharp observation on how social class changes the meaning of family size.

  Vocabulary

  • chłop — peasant, farmer
  • pan — lord, nobleman, gentleman
  • bogaty — rich
  • biedny — poor

  Grammar note

  'Kiedy … to' is a conditional/temporal construction: 'when … then'.

  Cultural context

  Reflects the feudal social structure of historical Poland, where peasants and nobility had very different economic realities.

  Intermediate

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