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  What it means

  “On Saint Dorothy’s day there should be snow above the fence.” A weather proverb predicting that around the feast of Saint Dorothy (February 6) there should still be deep snow — a sign of a proper winter.

  Vocabulary

  • dzień — day
  • święta — saint (feminine)
  • śnieg — snow
  • płot — fence

  Grammar note

  'Świętej Doroty' is the genitive of 'święta Dorota'. 'Śniega' is an archaic genitive of 'śnieg' used in the partitive sense. 'Nad płotem' uses the instrumental after 'nad'.

  Cultural context

  Saint Dorothy's feast day is February 6. Weather proverbs tied to saints' days helped Polish farmers and villagers anticipate seasonal changes.

  Intermediate

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