Sourcing Goods: Using "od"
When discussing supply chains—buying, acquiring, or receiving goods from a person or a company—Polish uses the preposition od (from).
The preposition od always requires the noun or noun phrase that follows it to be in the Genitive case. You will frequently use it with verbs like pochodzić (to originate), nabyć (to acquire), kupować (to buy), and dostać (to get).
When sourcing from business roles (like a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor), most masculine nouns take the -a ending in the Genitive, while those ending in -a (like dostawca) take -y. Modifying adjectives take the -ego ending.
| This raw material comes from a local manufacturer. | Ten surowiec pochodzi od lokalnego producenta. |
| We have to acquire something from a new supplier. | Musimy nabyć coś od nowego dostawcy. |
| The boss got two samples from our distributor. | Szef dostał dwie próbki od naszego dystrybutora. |
When sourcing from feminine entities, such as a wholesale store (hurtownia), the noun takes the -i or -y ending in the Genitive case, and feminine adjectives take -ej.
| In a week we will buy goods from a large wholesale store. | Za tydzień kupimy towar od dużej hurtowni. |
"Od" vs. "Z"
You will also see the preposition z used to mean "from." Both prepositions require the Genitive case, but they are used in different contexts:
- Use od when sourcing from a person, a role, or a company viewed as a business entity.
- Use z when the source is a physical location, a building you take things out of, or a geographic region (like a city or country).
For example, a wholesale store (hurtownia) can take z when you are talking about pulling meat out of the physical building, whereas a country will always take z.
| Does this meat come from a local wholesale store? | Czy to mięso pochodzi z lokalnej hurtowni? |
| Do they want to import sugar from Poland? | Czy oni chcą importować cukier z Polski? |