ProverbHuman NaturePolish origin

Gdzie kucharek sześć, tam nie ma co jeść

Meaning: Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Literally: Where there are six cooks, there's nothing to eat

Example: “Pięciu projektantów, zero projektu: gdzie kucharek sześć, tam nie ma co jeść.” — Five designers and no design: too many cooks spoil the broth.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 4 more languages

  • English: Too many cooks spoil the broth
  • French: Trop de cuisiniers gâtent la sauce (literally: Too many cooks spoil the sauce)
  • Spanish: Muchas manos en un plato hacen mucho garabato (literally: Many hands on a plate make a mess)
  • Japanese: 船頭多くして船山に登る (Sendō ōku shite fune yama ni noboru) (literally: With too many captains, the ship climbs the mountain)
  • German: Viele Köche verderben den Brei (literally: Many cooks spoil the porridge)
  • Italian: Tanti galli a cantar non fa mai giorno (literally: With so many roosters crowing, day never breaks)
  • Dutch: Veel koks bederven de brij (literally: Many cooks spoil the porridge)
  • Russian: У семи нянек дитя без глазу (U semi nyanek ditya bez glazu) (literally: With seven nannies, the child loses an eye)
  • Korean: 사공이 많으면 배가 산으로 간다 (Sagongi maneumyeon baega saneuro ganda) (literally: With too many boatmen, the boat ends up on a mountain)

Origin: A Polish proverb that too many hands fussing over one pot ruin the meal entirely.

Explore another collection: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

  • Bekommen Actually means 'to receive' or 'to get'. To become is werden.
  • Déception Actually means 'disappointment'. For deception (a trick), say tromperie.
  • Disgusto Actually means 'displeasure', 'upset', or 'trouble'. For disgust (revulsion), say asco.

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