Today's Brueghel proverb.
Als het kalf verdronken is, dempt men de put.
Als het kalf verdronken is, dempt men de put. — Literally: once the calf has drowned, they fill in the well.
Meaning: acting only after the damage is done - the Dutch version of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. There's a free grammar lesson in it too. Als sends its verb to the end of the clause, so you get verdronken is, and then that whole clause fills first position, which inverts the main clause into dempt men rather than men dempt.
Nu pas een hek plaatsen? Als het kalf verdronken is, dempt men de put. — Putting up a fence only now? Bit late for that.
Doei doei!
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