przez

przez is a Polish preposition that typically translates as “through,” “by,” or “across” in English. It governs the accusative case and is used to indicate movement, means, cause, or duration, among other relations. In spatial contexts it denotes passage or traversal, e.g., „Idę przez las” (I am walking through the forest). When expressing means or agency, it corresponds to “by,” as in „Został wyrzucony przez urząd” (He was dismissed by the office). In causal constructions it can mean “because of,” for example „Zmarł przez chorobę” (He died because of an illness). The preposition also appears in temporal expressions indicating a period, such as „przez dwie godziny” (for two hours).

The use of przez requires the noun or pronoun to be in the accusative case; accordingly, gender and number affect its form. Its older counterpart, poprzeczny, gave rise to the compound form „poprzez,” which carries a similar meaning but may convey a slightly more formal tone.

Etymologically, przez derives from Proto‑Slavic *prьzъ, related to the verb *prъ‑ meaning “over, across.” It is cognate with Russian пред (pred) and Czech přes. The preposition is a core element of Polish syntax and appears frequently in both spoken and literary language. Related prepositions include przy (near), nad (over), and w (in), each governing different cases and expressing distinct spatial or abstract relationships.