• Listen

  What it means

  “Whoever refuses to obey their father and mother must end up in the executioner’s hands.” A stark warning that disobedience leads to ruin and punishment. The ‘kat’ (executioner) represents the harshest possible fate.

  Vocabulary

  • słuchać — to listen to, to obey
  • kat — executioner, hangman
  • przyjść w ręce — to fall into the hands of

  Grammar note

  'Katu' is the dative of 'kat'. 'Przyjść w ręce' (+ dative) means to fall into someone's hands.

  Cultural context

  An old proverb from an era when public execution was a real deterrent; now used hyperbolically.

  Intermediate

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