a = [[1,2,3],[4,5,6],[7,8,9]] b = zip(*a)[1] print b c = [x[1] for x in a] print c
Output:(2, 5, 8)
[2, 5, 8]
by the way, no need for zip for the unpacking:b, c, d = aEDIT: Above applies when you want the i-th element of each element in a. In this case i=1
If you need the 1st element of a:
b = a[1]
Output:[4, 5, 6]