diff --git a/pica-path/src/lib.rs b/pica-path/src/lib.rs
index a0175478d..1ab9a8cb2 100644
--- a/pica-path/src/lib.rs
+++ b/pica-path/src/lib.rs
@@ -174,8 +174,8 @@ fn parse_path_simple(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
     )(i)
 }
 
-fn parse_path_depricated(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
-    map(
+fn parse_path_deprecated(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
+    let (i, path) = map(
         delimited(
             multispace0,
             tuple((
@@ -204,7 +204,13 @@ fn parse_path_depricated(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
             subfield_matcher: m,
             codes: c,
         },
-    )(i)
+    )(i)?;
+
+    if path.subfield_matcher.is_some() {
+        eprintln!("WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.");
+    }
+
+    Ok((i, path))
 }
 
 fn parse_path_curly(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
@@ -253,7 +259,7 @@ fn parse_path_curly(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
 }
 
 pub fn parse_path(i: &[u8]) -> ParseResult<Path> {
-    alt((parse_path_simple, parse_path_curly, parse_path_depricated))(i)
+    alt((parse_path_simple, parse_path_curly, parse_path_deprecated))(i)
 }
 
 pub trait PathExt<T: AsRef<[u8]>> {
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/023-frequency-subfield-matcher.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/023-frequency-subfield-matcher.toml
index 29768ca15..739fb1ba5 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/023-frequency-subfield-matcher.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/023-frequency-subfield-matcher.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "frequency -s \"065R{4 =^ 'ort', 9}\" dump.dat.gz"
 status = "success"
 stdout = "041178548,2\n040660095,1\n040787044,1\n"
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/024-frequency-subfield-matcher-ci.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/024-frequency-subfield-matcher-ci.toml
index 41095b1c0..64958904b 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/024-frequency-subfield-matcher-ci.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/024-frequency-subfield-matcher-ci.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "frequency -s -i \"065R{4 =^ 'ORT', 9}\" dump.dat.gz"
 status = "success"
 stdout = "041178548,2\n040660095,1\n040787044,1\n"
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path1.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path1.toml
index 8ed6f1935..eb72bfde5 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path1.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path1.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "-c Pica.toml frequency \"029@{a =^ 'Städtische', a}\""
 status = "success"
 stdout = "Sta\u0308dtische Pressestelle,1\n"
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path2.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path2.toml
index d384ea164..04bb4dedb 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path2.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/frequency/586-frequency-translit-path2.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "frequency \"029@{a =^ 'Städtische', a}\""
 status = "success"
 stdout = ""
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector1.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector1.toml
index 2f661f2b7..58217690e 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector1.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector1.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "-c Pica.toml select -s \"003@.0, 029@{a =^ 'Städtische', a}\""
 status = "success"
 stdout = "040181189,Sta\u0308dtische Pressestelle\n"
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector2.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector2.toml
index 3f6bc6861..8597d4bbd 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector2.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/586-select-translit-selector2.toml
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@ bin.name = "pica"
 args = "select -s \"003@.0, 029@{a =^ 'Städtische', a}\""
 status = "success"
 stdout = "040181189,\n"
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"
+
diff --git a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/605-false-positives-regex.toml b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/605-false-positives-regex.toml
index 24a4fbea2..e0a095caf 100644
--- a/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/605-false-positives-regex.toml
+++ b/pica-toolkit/tests/snapshot/select/605-false-positives-regex.toml
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ args = "select -s \"044K{!9? && a !~ '^:[zf]', a}\""
 status = "success"
 stdin = "044K \u001fbckw\u001fa:z Geschichte 2005-2017\u001fEa\u001fHstwgnd\u001fK1\u001fD2022-07-15\u001e\n"
 stdout = ""
-stderr = ""
+stderr = "WARNING: Specifying subfield matcher in the first position of an path expression is deprecated. Please use the set-builder notation instead.\n"