Polski — Prepositions with the locative

A small group of Polish prepositions always governs the locative case (miejscownik): w, na, o, po, przy. The noun after them takes locative endings, as in w domu, na stole, o tobie, po lekcji, przy oknie.

How it works

✓ Rule

After w, na, o, po and przy the noun switches to its locative form: masculine and neuter typically end in -e (with consonant softening) or -u, feminine in -e or -i/-y. Compare the nominative stół with the locative na stole, and dom with w domu.

Examples

Locative-only prepositions in use
Preposition + phrase	Meaning / use
w domu	at home (inside a place)
na stole	on the table (on a surface)
o tobie	about you (topic of talk/thought)
po lekcji	after the lesson (in time)
przy oknie	by the window (next to)
o piątej	at five o'clock (clock time with o)

Good to know

⚠ Note

Beware: w, na and o also take the accusative when they express motion or direction — idę do domu vs. jestem w domu, kładę książkę na stół (accusative) vs. książka leży na stole (locative). The locative appears only with location/state, not with movement toward something.