• Listen

  What it means

  “A tit will not give birth to a nightingale.” You cannot produce something beyond your own nature or station. Like begets like — don’t expect extraordinary offspring from ordinary origins.

  English equivalent

  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

  Vocabulary

  • sikora — tit (a small, common bird)
  • słowik — nightingale
  • urodzić — to give birth to, to bear

  Grammar note

  'Urodzi' is the perfective future third-person singular. 'Słowika' is the accusative of 'słowik' after the negated verb.

  Cultural context

  The nightingale is a symbol of beautiful song and exceptional talent in Polish and broader European culture.

  Intermediate

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