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  What it means

  “A son does not inherit his father’s luck.” Good fortune is personal and cannot be passed down — each person must make their own luck in life.

  Vocabulary

  • szczęście — luck, happiness, fortune
  • ojcowski — paternal, father's
  • dziedziczyć — to inherit

  Grammar note

  'Szczęścia ojcowskiego' is the genitive of the noun phrase, required by the negated verb 'nie dziedziczy'. Negation in Polish shifts the direct object to the genitive case.

  Cultural context

  Pairs naturally with 'Syn tylko worki zliczy, w rozumie nie dziedziczy' — together they form a folk philosophy about the limits of inheritance.

  Intermediate

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