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### Compound prepositions of origin

When an object moves *out* from a specific location—like emerging from behind a wardrobe or being pulled from under a bed—Polish combines the preposition **z** (from/out of) with a positional preposition (**za**, **pod**, **nad**) to create a compound preposition. 

All of these compound prepositions require the noun that follows them to take the **Genitive** case.

### From behind (zza)

Combine **z** + **za** to get **zza** (from behind). Use this when something was hidden behind an object and is now coming out, or simply sticking out where it can be seen.

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### From under (spod)

When something comes out from underneath an object, you combine **z** + **pod**. Because **p** is a voiceless consonant, the **z** changes to an **s** in spelling and pronunciation, giving us **spod** (from under).

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### From above (znad)

To describe a motion or perspective originating from over or above something, combine **z** + **nad** to form **znad** (from above). This is frequently used to describe a line of sight, such as looking up from a desk or peering over the top of a pair of glasses.

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### Searching every corner

When you are looking for lost items or describing a messy room, you can easily mix and match these prepositions in the same sentence. Just remember that whether the item is coming from under or from behind, the reference object always takes the Genitive case.

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Compound prepositions of origin (zza, spod, znad)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

predicative

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

This is (to jest)

The verb to be, singular (być)

Formal address (Pan, Pani)

Demonstrative pronouns (ten, ta, to)

Adjective agreement

Negation (nie)

Basic questions (czy, kto, co, gdzie, jak)

The verb to be, plural (być)

Present tense -m/-sz verbs

Reflexive verbs (się)

Coordinating conjunctions (i, a, ale)

Feminine direct objects (Accusative)

Inanimate direct objects (Accusative)

Animate masculine direct objects (Accusative)

Present tense verbs 2 (-ę, -isz / -ysz)

Expressing location (w, na)

Locative adjective agreement

Professions and nationalities (Instrumental)

Accompaniment (z + Instrumental)

Present tense verbs 3 (-ę, -esz)

Plural possessives (nasz, wasz)

Numbers 1 to 10

Genitive of possession

Genitive of negation

Lack or absence (nie ma)

Basic quantifiers (dużo, mało, trochę)

Liking things (podoba mi się)

Modal verbs (móc, musieć)

Subordinating conjunctions (bo, że)

Unidirectional motion verbs (iść, jechać)

Expressing age (mieć... lat)

Habitual motion (chodzić, jeździć)

Expressing destination (do)

Days of the week (poniedziałek, wtorek...)

Plural nouns for objects and animals

Plural nouns for people

Plural adjective agreement

Accusative object pronouns (go, ją, je...)

The past tense of to be (był)

Singular past tense (-łem, -łam...)

Expressing age (mieć + lata / lat)

Plural past tense (-li / -ły)

Perfective past tense

Future tense (będę + infinitive)

Age: one year (mieć rok)

Prices and currency (złoty, grosz)

Destination (na + accusative)

Non-masculine plurals (-e, -y, -i)

Instrumental pronouns (ze mną, z tobą)

To know (znać vs wiedzieć)

The future perfective tense

The imperative mood

Months of the year (styczeń, luty)

Greetings and farewells (dzień dobry, cześć)

Introducing yourself (mam na imię)

Thank you and sorry (dziękuję, przepraszam)

Left, right, up and down (po lewej stronie)

Parts of the body (ręka, noga)

Parts of the day (dzień, noc, południe)

What is it like? (jaki, jaka, jakie)

Speaking Polish (mówić po polsku)

Instrumental for adjectives (dobrym, dobrą)

Please do... (proszę + infinitive)

Interests (interesować się + Instrumental)

Can one? (można, trzeba, nie wolno)

By bus or by train (jechać autobusem)

Where are you from? (jestem z Polski)

Where exactly? (obok, przy, przed, za, pod, nad)

What time is it? (Która godzina?)

Not seeing her (go, jej, ich; niego, niej, nich)

When I have time (kiedy as a conjunction)

Irregular past stems (miał, mieli)

The verb 'iść' in the past (szedł, szli)

Imperfective future (będę odpoczywał)

Past aspect (robił vs zrobił)

Future aspect (będzie malował vs pomaluje)

Perfective motion with po- (pójść, pojechać)

Arrival verbs with przy- (przyjść, przyjechać)

Departure verbs with wy- (wyjść, wyjechać)

The Vocative case (Panie, Mamo)

Plural possessives (moi, moje)

Reflexive possessive pronouns (swój)

Genitive plural of masculine nouns (-ów, -y, -i)

Genitive plural of feminine and neuter nouns

Genitive plural of adjectives (-ych, -ich)

Accusative plural of masculine personal nouns

Question	Answer
corner	kąt
from behind	zza
to stick out	wystawać
In the corner of the room, an old shoe sticks out from behind the wardrobe.	W kącie pokoju zza szafy wystaje stary but.
to pull out (pf)	wyciągnąć
coin	moneta
from under	spod
I must pull the coin out from under the sofa.	Muszę wyciągnąć monetę spod kanapy.
from above	znad
pile	sterta
The tired employee looked from above the pile of documents.	Zmęczony pracownik spojrzał znad sterty dokumentów.
to pull out (impf)	wyciągać
The child was pulling toys from behind the heavy wardrobe.	Dziecko wyciągało zabawki zza ciężkiej szafy.
ring	pierścionek
I see a ring that sticks out from under the carpet.	Widzę pierścionek, który wystaje spod dywanu.
The police officer pulled a weapon from under the bed.	Policjant wyciągnął broń spod łóżka.
A dirty dog came out from behind the sofa.	Zza kanapy wyszedł brudny pies.
The thief came out from behind the building.	Złodziej wyszedł zza budynku.
I took the passport from under the heavy book.	Wziąłem paszport spod ciężkiej książki.
The sun finally came out from behind the clouds.	Wreszcie słońce wyszło zza chmur.
He looked at me from above his glasses.	Spojrzał na mnie znad swoich okularów.
The accountant often looks at us from above the pile of bills.	Księgowa często patrzy na nas znad sterty rachunków.
The woman is pulling a coin from under the bed and a ring from behind the sofa in the corner.	Kobieta wyciąga monetę spod łóżka i pierścionek zza kanapy w kącie.