Logical Prepositions: Without, Instead Of, and Except
The Genitive case is used after a wide variety of prepositions in Polish. You already know how to use it to express possession or negation. Now, we will use the Genitive to express logical relationships like absence, alternatives, or exceptions.
- bez (without)
- zamiast (instead of)
- oprócz (except / besides)
Whenever you use these prepositions, the noun or pronoun immediately following them must take the Genitive case. For example, mleko becomes bez mleka, and gazeta becomes zamiast gazety.
| I drink coffee without milk and without sugar. | Piję kawę bez mleka i bez cukru. |
| One must read this book instead of a newspaper. | Trzeba przeczytać tę książkę zamiast gazety. |
| Everyone is here except my brother. | Wszyscy tu są oprócz mojego brata. |
Spatial Prepositions: Proximity and Surroundings
You will also use the Genitive case to describe where things are in relation to one another. Three very common spatial prepositions require the Genitive:
- niedaleko (near / not far from)
- naprzeciwko (opposite)
- dookoła (around)
| Our doctor lives near the hospital. | Nasz lekarz mieszka niedaleko szpitala. |
| It is not allowed to wait opposite the bank. | Nie wolno czekać naprzeciwko banku. |
| One can walk around the park. | Można spacerować dookoła parku. |
Time and Crowds
Finally, two more essential prepositions trigger the Genitive case. They help us describe the duration of an event, or being in the middle of a group.
- podczas (during)
- wśród (among)
| It is not allowed to talk during the lesson. | Nie wolno rozmawiać podczas lekcji. |
| We are alone among the crowd. | Jesteśmy sami wśród tłumu. |
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