Proverbs
Proverbs keep their usual words and order, and each one has a plain meaning to learn with it.
How It Works
Marathi proverbs are short and fixed. Speakers use them to close an argument or to explain a lesson. Writers use them in essays and stories.
| Proverb | Literal meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| थेंबे थेंबे तळे साचे. | Drop by drop, the lake fills. | Small savings or efforts add up. |
| अति तेथे माती. | Too much ends in dust. | Too much of a good thing ruins it. |
| दुरून डोंगर साजरे. | Hills look lovely from far away. | Things look better from a distance. |
| दिव्याखाली अंधार. | There is darkness under the lamp. | People miss what is closest to them. |
| करावे तसे भरावे. | As you do, so you pay. | Actions bring their own results. |
Keep the words as you learned them. A proverb loses its force if you swap a word, add a postposition or reorder it. A few proverbs have more than one set wording, and some, like दिव्याखाली अंधार, are noun phrases. Write दिव्याखाली as one word, as the proverb has it.
A proverb can stand alone or follow a statement after a pause: तो रोज थोडी बचत करतो. थेंबे थेंबे तळे साचे.
A proverb sums up a whole situation. An idiom (वाक्प्रचार) is a short phrase that fits inside a sentence, which is a different tool.
Examples (5)
- थेंबे थेंबे तळे साचे.
Drop by drop, the lake fills.
The proverb says that small efforts add up.
- अति तेथे माती.
Too much of anything ends in ruin.
The proverb warns against excess.
- दुरून डोंगर साजरे.
Hills look lovely from far away.
The proverb says that things look better from a distance.
- दिव्याखाली अंधार.
There is darkness under the lamp.
The proverb says that what is nearest is often overlooked.
- करावे तसे भरावे.
As you do, so you pay.
The proverb says that every action has its result.
Common Mistakes
Changing the words of the proverb.
थेंब थेंब तळे साचते.थेंबे थेंबे तळे साचे.A proverb keeps its fixed form, with -े on both words and साचे at the end.
Splitting a word that the proverb joins.
दिव्याच्या खाली अंधार.दिव्याखाली अंधार.The proverb uses the joined word दिव्याखाली.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Proverbs are fixed sayings, and many follow the pattern जसा … तसा.
Related Patterns
- Idioms
This is the phrase-sized partner of the proverb.
Level 6 - Similes and Metaphors
These are images that a proverb often builds on.
Level 6 - Questions That Make a Point
This is another way to make a point without a plain statement.
Level 6 - Word Order and Emphasis
This covers how word order adds emphasis.
Level 6
Practice Proverbs in Bubblegum
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