• Listen

  What it means

  “Whoever brings grain to the mill first gets it ground first.” First come, first served. Acting promptly gives you an advantage.

  English equivalent

  First come, first served.

  Vocabulary

  • pierwej — first, sooner (archaic form of 'najpierw')
  • młyn — mill
  • mleć / zmielą — to grind / they will grind

  Grammar note

  'Temu' is the dative of 'ten', used in the correlative 'kto … temu' pattern.

  Cultural context

  Rooted in rural life when the local mill was essential; the image was universally understood.

  Intermediate

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