з/із/зі + Genitive (Source)

The preposition з is one of the most common in Ukrainian. When it indicates a source, origin, or starting point, it always governs the Genitive case. However, be careful: when з means 'with' (accompaniment), it governs the Instrumental case.

1. Spatial Logic:
Ukrainian prepositions work in pairs. If you go into a place using в/у, you come out of it using з. If you go onto a surface using на, you come off it using з.

• В автівку (Into the car) → З автівки (Out of the car)
• На стіл (Onto the table) → Зі стола (Off the table)

2. Masculine Genitive Endings:
When using з to indicate origin, remember that masculine nouns in the Genitive take either -а/-я or -у/-ю. Generally, concrete, countable objects (like furniture or tools) take -а/-я, while abstract concepts, collective nouns, or large, non-delimited spaces take -у/-ю.

• З будинку (From the building — spatial/large)
• З лісу (From the forest — spatial/large)
• Зі стола (Off the table — concrete/countable)

3. Material and Composition:
We use з + Genitive to describe what something is entirely made of or the source material.

• Виріб з дерева (A product made of wood)
• Сік із яблук (Juice made from apples)

4. Temporal Usage:
Beyond physical movement, з + Genitive marks the starting point in time (meaning "since" or "from").

• З ранку (Since the morning)
• З вечора (Since the evening)

5. Causal and Emotional Source:
We use з + Genitive to express the source of an emotion or a physical state.

• З радості (From joy)

6. Selection:
Use з/із to select from a group.

• Багато з вас (Many of you)

7. Euphonic Variants (з, із, зі):
To maintain euphony, the form depends on the surrounding sounds:

• з: The standard form, used before vowels or non-clashing consonants.
• із: Used primarily to avoid difficult consonant clusters, especially between two consonants or before words starting with с, з, ш, щ, ж, ч.
• зі: Used when the following word starts with a group of consonants, the first of which is a sibilant (e.g., зі стола, зі школи).

8. Origin vs. People:
Use з for locations and materials. To say 'from a person', use від + Genitive.

• Він вийшов з будинку (He came out of the building).
• Він отримав це від брата (He got it from his brother).

9. Note on Accusative Usage:
Be aware that з can also be used with the Accusative case when it means "about" or "approximately" (e.g., з годину — about an hour). In these instances, it does not indicate a source.