• Listen

  What it means

  Roasted pigeons don’t fly into your mouth on their own. Nothing good comes without effort — you have to work for what you want rather than waiting for it to fall into your lap.

  English equivalent

  Good things don't come to those who wait — you have to go get them.

  Vocabulary

  • pieczony — roasted, baked
  • gołąbek — pigeon (also: stuffed cabbage roll)
  • lecieć — to fly
  • gąbka — mouth (colloquial), sponge

  Grammar note

  'Nie lecą same' — 'same' (themselves, on their own) is a reflexive intensifier agreeing with the plural subject 'gołąbki'.

  Cultural context

  Gołąbki are also a beloved Polish dish (stuffed cabbage rolls), giving the proverb a playful double meaning.

  Beginner

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