The Preposition Poprzez
To express that an action is accomplished "by means of" or "through" an abstract method or process, Polish uses the preposition poprzez.
While przez (through, by) is often used for physical movement or the passive voice, poprzez is specifically used for abstract and methodological agency — achieving something through a particular approach or action. Like przez, poprzez always takes the Accusative case.
When discussing learning and alternative education, you will frequently use verbal nouns (nouns derived from verbs, usually ending in -nie or -cie). Because these are neuter inanimate nouns, their Accusative form is identical to their Nominative form. This makes them very easy to pair with poprzez.
| Children learn quickly through action and play. | Dzieci uczą się szybko poprzez działanie i zabawę. |
| We develop through self-education and practical action. | Rozwijamy się poprzez samokształcenie i praktyczne działanie. |
Acquiring and Absorbing Knowledge
You can combine verbs like zdobywać (to gain) and przyswajać (to absorb) with poprzez to describe independent learning methods.
| It is worth gaining knowledge through self-education. | Warto zdobywać wiedzę poprzez samokształcenie. |
| An independent student absorbs knowledge through critical thinking. | Samodzielny student przyswaja wiedzę poprzez krytyczne myślenie. |
Mentors and Alternative Teaching
Even with a mentor or in alternative education, the method of learning often remains an active, abstract process.
| Alternative teaching allows gaining knowledge through practice. | Alternatywne nauczanie pozwala zdobywać wiedzę poprzez praktykę. |
| A good mentor teaches us through logical thinking. | Dobry mentor uczy nas poprzez logiczne myślenie. |
| It is hard for me to absorb this material through just listening. | Trudno mi przyswajać ten materiał poprzez samo słuchanie. |