Expressing Cause: Z powodu
When you want to state the direct reason or cause for a situation—translating to "due to" or "because of"—use the compound preposition z powodu.
This phrase literally means "from the reason [of]," so it requires the noun or noun phrase that follows it to take the Genitive case.
| It is warm in the greenhouse due to the heating. | W szklarni jest ciepło z powodu ogrzewania. |
| Due to the cold rain, we are not leaving the greenhouse. | Z powodu zimnego deszczu nie wychodzimy ze szklarni. |
| I am not watering the cacti due to high humidity. | Nie podlewam kaktusów z powodu wysokiej wilgotności. |
Expressing Consideration: Ze względu na
When an action is taken out of consideration or respect for a certain factor—such as adjusting a greenhouse environment to accommodate specific plants—use ze względu na (meaning "considering" or "on account of").
Because this compound preposition ends with the preposition na, the noun phrase that follows it must take the Accusative case. Note that for inanimate, non-masculine, and plural (non-virile) nouns, the Accusative case often looks identical to the Nominative case.
| Considering the tropical species, we must close the door. | Ze względu na tropikalne gatunki musimy zamknąć drzwi. |
| Considering the new heating, the humidity in the room is low. | Ze względu na nowe ogrzewanie wilgotność w pokoju jest niska. |
| Considering the delicate species, everything here costs a lot. | Ze względu na delikatne gatunki wszystko tutaj dużo kosztuje. |