(literally: If I had died yesterday, I would not have heard it today)
(the death of the wolves is the safety of the sheep) -here's the fun definition
(you must take the rough with the smooth)
(literally: "A wife wears a man on her face, and a husband wears his wife on his shirt", which obviously means that one can judge how a husband treats his wife by looking at her face, while one can judge how a wife takes care of her husband by looking at his shirt)
(pull the wool over somebody’s eyes)
(a woman can keep only the secret which she doesn't know)
(Marry your son when you will, your daughter when you can)
Old horses, new gifts and the letter Ž
The second selection moves from gift horses and changing fortunes to smoke, secrets and the letter Ž. Proverbs often survive by changing their surface form: E, darovnome konju zubi se ne gledaju is commonly shortened today to Poklonu se u zube ne gleda.
A proverb is not always a rule to accept literally. Some sayings preserve the humour, prejudices and social arrangements of their time. Advanced learners can understand the language, recognise the historical viewpoint and still question the message.
A proverb can be understood without being endorsed
Žena muža nosi na licu, a muž ženu na košulji reflects an older expectation that spouses publicly display one another’s care or neglect. Its grammar is valuable, but its judgement belongs to a historical social frame. Ask who is being evaluated, by whom and according to which standard.
The saying about a woman and a secret similarly relies on a stereotype. Treat it as evidence of proverbial humour, not as a universal truth. That critical distance lets you preserve cultural material while discussing it intelligently in present-day Serbian.
Compare the proverb with the situation
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Poklonu se u zube ne gleda, ali se lepo zahvali. | Поклону се у зубе не гледа, али се лепо захвали. | Do not look a gift in the mouth, but do thank the giver properly. |
| Dok je jednom svanulo, drugi je izgubio prednost. | Док је једном свануло, други је изгубио предност. | While fortune smiled on one person, the other lost an advantage. |
| Bez malo dima ponekad nema ni tople vatre. | Без мало дима понекад нема ни топле ватре. | Sometimes there is no warm fire without a little smoke. |
| Lakoveran čovek može žednog preko vode prevesti. | Лаковеран човек може жедног преко воде превести. | A smooth talker can deceive even someone who should know better. |
| Slovo Ž liči na malu zvezdu sa šest krakova. | Слово Ж личи на малу звезду са шест кракова. | The letter Ž resembles a small star with six arms. |
Five sayings stand before a modern jury
For each old saying, decide whether modern speakers use the same wording, a shortened version or only the underlying idea. Then write one contemporary situation in which the proverb would sound natural rather than forced.
- Give the modern form of the gift-horse proverb.
- What idea does žednog preko vode prevesti express?
- Convert Žena to Cyrillic.
- Complete: Dok jednom ne smrkne, drugom ne ______.
- Name one proverb whose social message you would question.
The smoke clears around the answers
- Poklonu se u zube ne gleda.
- To deceive someone skilfully.
- Жена
- svane
- Answers vary; explain your choice from the wording.
Copy the letter Ж by hand, then place one old saying beside a modern situation and decide whether its wisdom still travels.
Marina Petrović