• Listen

  What it means

  A fence lasts three years, a cat outlives three fences, a horse outlives three cats. A folk saying about the relative lifespans of things — and a reminder that animals outlast man-made structures, and horses outlast cats.

  Vocabulary

  • płot — fence
  • kot — cat
  • koń — horse

  Grammar note

  Elliptical structure — the verb 'żyje' (lives) or 'trwa' (lasts) is omitted throughout. 'Trzy lata/płoty/koty' are accusative after the implied verb.

  Cultural context

  A rural proverb rooted in the agricultural world, where knowing the lifespan of animals and structures had practical importance.

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!