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  What it means

  “Fish and guests smell after three days.” Guests who overstay their welcome become as unwelcome as rotting fish. Hospitality has its limits.

  English equivalent

  Fish and visitors smell after three days.

  Vocabulary

  • ryba — fish
  • gość — guest
  • śmierdzieć — to stink, to smell bad
  • po trzech dniach — after three days

  Grammar note

  'Po trzech dniach' uses the locative plural of 'dzień' after 'po'. 'Śmierdzi' is third-person singular present, with the compound subject 'ryba i gość' treated as singular in folk usage.

  Cultural context

  This proverb exists in many European languages and is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, though it predates him. The Polish version is widely known.

  Intermediate

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