Extracting from a Group
When you want to single out an individual or a smaller subset from a larger group—such as "none of the substitutes" or "someone from the team"—Polish uses the preposition z (meaning "from" or "out of") followed by the larger group in the genitive plural.
Pair this structure with words like żaden (none) to talk about who didn't make the cut.
| None of the substitutes made it to the main squad. | Żaden z rezerwowych nie trafił do głównego składu. |
It also works with indefinite pronouns like ktoś (someone) or adjectives to indicate who is selected.
| Since we are missing a player, the coach will select someone from the substitutes for the squad. | Ponieważ brakuje nam zawodnika, trener wytypuje do składu kogoś z rezerwowych. |
| We will select the much better of the rivals in order to win quickly. | Wytypujemy o wiele lepszego z rywali, żeby szybko wygrać. |
Pronunciation Changes: "Ze"
If the following word begins with certain difficult consonant clusters—such as zd- in zdolny (talented)—the preposition z becomes ze for smoother pronunciation. It still takes the genitive plural and is often paired with question words like który (which).
| Which of the talented favorites will you select for this challenge? | Którego ze zdolnych faworytów państwo wytypują do tego wyzwania? |
This also works with numbers when specifying how many people were selected.
| Two of the talented actresses made it to the cast after this audition. | Dwie ze zdolnych aktorek trafiły do obsady po tym przesłuchaniu. |
Extracting with Pronouns
You can single individuals out from a pronoun group, like "one of you" or "none of them". The rule remains the same: use z followed by the genitive form of the pronoun. For example, wy (you all) becomes was, and oni (they) becomes nich.
| Due to changes in the cast, the director will cast one of you in this film. | Z powodu zmian w obsadzie reżyser obsadzi w tym filmie jednego z was. |
| It is difficult to cast this role when none of them came to the audition. | Trudno obsadzić tę rolę, kiedy żaden z nich nie przyszedł na przesłuchanie. |