A1 · Prepositions · about 7 minutes
do, z, od, u, bez: prepositions with the genitive
prepositions with the genitive
The commonest small prepositions always take the genitive — and z has two meanings.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- uczyćto teach
- żyćto live, to be alive
Understand
Rememberdo, z, od, u, bez, dla — always followed by the genitive.
- Signal words
- do
- z
- od
- u
- bez
- dla
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Polish.
| do + genitive: to, into | do domu, do szkoły, do Polski, do lekarza |
| z + genitive: from, out of | z pracy, z Krakowa, z Niemiec |
| od + genitive: from a person, since | od mamy, od lekarza, od rana |
| u + genitive: at somebody’s | u babci, u lekarza, u nas |
| bez + genitive: without | bez cukru, bez mleka, bez ciebie |
| dla + genitive: for | dla dziecka, dla mamy, dla ciebie |
| careful: z + instrumental means “with” | z mlekiem, z bratem |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
After do, z, od, u, bez and dla the genitive always follows.
Idziemy do kina.We are going to the cinema.
u means “at somebody’s”.
Dzisiaj śpię u brata.Tonight I am sleeping at my brother’s.
od means “from” a person, and “since”.
Uczę się polskiego od roku.I have been learning Polish for a year.
z with the genitive means “from”.
Marek jest z Poznania.Marek is from Poznań.
z with the instrumental means “with”.
Piję herbatę z cytryną.I drink tea with lemon.
Example sentences
Ten prezent jest dla mamy.This present is for Mum.
Nie mogę żyć bez kawy.I can’t live without coffee.
Wracam od lekarza.I am on my way back from the doctor’s.
6 more example sentences
W niedzielę jemy obiad u babci.On Sunday we have lunch at Gran’s.
Ten pociąg jedzie z Berlina do Warszawy.This train goes from Berlin to Warsaw.
Mam wiadomość od Kasi.I have a message from Kasia.
Mieszkamy obok parku.We live next to the park.
Idę do fryzjera.I am going to the hairdresser’s.
Wychodzę bez parasola.I am going out without an umbrella.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
In English the noun after “without” stays exactly as it is, so the dictionary form stays in Polish too: bez cukier. After bez it is always the genitive: bez cukru, bez mleka.
Quick check
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Practise
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Next on the path: 32 · The plural: domy, książki, klucze, oknaBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A set of very common prepositions always takes the genitive (dopełniacz): do (to, into), z (from, out of), od (from a person, since), u (at somebody’s), bez (without) and dla (for). So the form after them is always the same: do domu, z pracy, od mamy, u babci, bez cukru, dla ciebie.
For places and for people they form sets of three. Places: w domu(where)do domu(where to)z domu(where from) People: u lekarza(at the doctor’s)do lekarza(to the doctor’s)od lekarza(from the doctor’s) The preposition changes; the case stays the genitive.
Watch out for z: with the genitive it means “from, out of” (z Polski, from Poland), with the instrumental (narzędnik) it means “with” (z mlekiem, with milk). Before some consonant clusters it becomes ze: ze szkoły, ze mną.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
At home and home
English has “at home”, “home” (as in “go home”) and “from home”. Polish just follows the rule: w domu(where)do domu(where to)z domu(where from) And “to” with towns and countries is always do: do Berlina, do Polski.
Wychodzę z domu o siódmej.I leave home at seven.
Worth knowing
The genitive in -a or -u
Masculine nouns take -a or -u in the genitive, and which one is learnt with the word: do Krakowa, do lekarza, but do sklepu, bez cukru. People and animals always take -a, and towns mostly do too.
Idę do sklepu po chleb.I am going to the shop for some bread.
The verbs on this page, in every form: być · mieć · iść · móc · jechać · pić · spać · uczyć