Europe

Polish proverbs and sayings for travelers. How to know what the Poles are talking about.





I was thinking recently how funny some foreign sayings can be when translated into your own language. So often on my travels people say something that makes no sense to me at all. I know, it helps to know the language a little bit, but even if you are at an advanced level, it still might be difficult to understand why people in Poland throw peas at a wall and talk about monkeys in a circus.

As much as it is is funny to know the sayings in different countries, it might cause a little it misunderstanding. I had a few odd situations when people talked to me about one thing and I was responding to something that had nothing to do with it. I was getting some puzzled looks from the people not really knowing why. Only after a while, sometimes months after, I learned what

I have prepared for you a few most popular sayings for many different occasion that Polish use on daily basis. They all have a meaning, but when taken literally or translated into English are quite funny. Enjoy and have a little giggle.

Polish proverbs and sayings.

• “Not my circus, not my monkeys”

Polish: “Nie mój cyrk, nie moje ma?py.”
Meaning: It is not my problem.

• “To have flies up in the nose”

Polish: Mie? muchy w nosie.
Meaning: To be angry.

• “Did an elephant stomp on your ear”?

Polish: S?o? nast?pi? ci na ucho?
Meaning: To be bad at music.

“Drill a hole in someone’s belly”

Polish: Wierci? komu? dziur? w brzuchu
Meaning: To be annoying.

See also: Pierogi, kings and dragons. See the beauty of Kraków.

Kraków, Poland Cracow

• “Throwing peas onto a wall”

Polish: Rzuca? grochem o ?cian?
Meaning: Talking to someone who doesn’t listen.

• “Don’t call the wolf from the forest”

Polish: Nie wywo?uj wilka z lasu.
Meaning: Don’t tempt fate.

• ” Apetite grows as we eat.”

Polish: Apetyt cheap topamax ro?nie w miar? jedzenia.

Meaning: The more we get, the more we want.

• “Without work there is no oilcake”

Polish: Bez pracy nie ma ko?aczy.

Meaning: There is no success without work.

• “The poor gets the wind blowing in the eyes”

Polish: Biednemu zawsze wiatr w oczy.

Meaning: The poor meets lots of obstacles.

See also: 11 curiosities you did not know about Madrid

Kraków, Poland Cracow

• ” To be an orb attached to a leg.”

Polish: By? kul? u nogi.

Meaning: To be a problem.

• “To be working hard as a bee.”

Polish: By? pracowitym jak pszczo?a.

Meaning: To work hard.

• “The goal sanctifies the means.”

Polish: Cel u?wi?ca ?rodki.

Meaning: It is not important what means we will use to get what we want.

• “A noisy cow gives little milk.”

Polish: Krowa, co du?o muczy daje ma?o mleka.
Meaning: A person, who talk a lot, knows little.

• ” I was turned into a horse.”

Polish: Zrobili mnie w konia.

Meaning: I was lied to/ cheated on.

See also: From Tuskany to Cannes in two weeks. Plan a perfect road trip.

Kraków, Poland Cracow

• ” A roll with butter”.

Polish: Bu?ka z mas?em.

Meaning: Easy.


• “A poor dancer will be disturbed even by the hem of her skirt.”

Polish: Z?ej baletnicy przeszkadza nawet r?bek u spódnicy.

Meaning: If you are bad at something, you look for excuses.

• “Two heads is not one.”

Polish: Co dwie g?owy, to nie jedna.

Meaning: Two people have more ideas than one person.

• “What has a ginger bread to do with a mill?”

Polish: Co ma piernik do wiatraka?

Meaning: Two things that have nothing to do with one another.

• “What is supposed to hang, won’t sink.”

Polish: Co ma wisie?, nie utonie.

Meaning: Can’t change what is meant to be.

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Thank you for visiting, everyone. I am really curious if you have funny/odd phrases you use in your country that are difficult to understand by foreigners? Let’s have some fun and share this bit about your countries.

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Polish proverbs




  1. Love this, thanks for sharing, they’re are great. I particularly like “Not my circus, not my monkeys” and “Throwing peas at a wall”. Great post.

  2. I was turned into a horse seems to have a funny meaning. Many of the others are like analogies, but not that one! Lol

  3. Mercy (Zen Maud) says:

    I had a good laugh with these sayings. They are witty, wise, and amusing. I found at least five favourites to keep. 🙂

  4. Being Polish I can totally relate. I’m always trying to translate things to my boyfriend who’s Italian and some of the Polish sayings wouldn’t make much sense if they weren’t explained. These are awesome. Co ma piernik do wiatraka to jest jedno z moich ulubionych

    1. Yes, there is so many more, but finding the way to translate some of them is soooo hard.

  5. Sometimes, it is difficult to translate certain phrases from one language into another….it just doesn’t do it justice. I have quite a few from my ethnic language of Urdu. Thank you for this post!

    1. You are totally right. Would love to know some phrases from Urdu if you want to share 🙂

  6. Good one Anna, interesting to see how one thing somewhere is different elsewhere but can have the same meaning. Liked the post 🙂

  7. I like your format and USP. I learnt a little about Poland that they dont think too differently from the rest of the world, except for treating oilcake as gold :- )

    1. What is USP? Every country is different, but as one of European countries they do not stand out too much. Why do you think that the Poles are treating oilcake as gold? I never thought of that.

  8. I first heard the ‘not my monkey…’ many years ago in a USA corporate setting. I immediately got it (since most corporate life is a circus and you must deal with many monkeys). A USA variation and follow up: “the second three most satisfying words in the company are “not my problem” Someone then asks “what are the first three most satisfying words in the company”? Answer: “It is now”. Maybe the polish equivalent is ‘they are now’ or ‘you just inherited them’.
    Fun website for armchair travellers. Thank you.

  9. Hej, szukałam info nt. Machu Picchu i tak trafiłam na tę tutaj stronę. Dawno się tak nie uśmiałam :)!. Super zestawienie. Great job! Dodaj: “Albo rybki, albo akwarium.” 🙂

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