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  What it means

  “Keep your tongue behind your teeth.” A direct instruction to stay silent, hold back what you know, and not say things that could cause trouble. Equivalent to “bite your tongue.”

  English equivalent

  Hold your tongue. / Bite your tongue.

  Vocabulary

  • trzymać — to hold, to keep
  • język — tongue; language
  • ząb — tooth
  • za zębami — behind the teeth

  Grammar note

  Imperative mood: 'trzymaj' (you, keep). 'Za zębami' uses the instrumental plural of 'ząb' after the preposition 'za'.

  Beginner

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