Family

The Instrumental Case: With and By Means Of

The Instrumental case primarily indicates s kim or čim an action is performed, or čime. It is always used with a preposition (most commonly s/sa - with) or after certain verbs, including the verb biti (to be) when describing someone's profession or state.

• Nouns:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -om. (e.g., s bratom - with a brother, s učiteljem - with a teacher, sa selom - with a village, s poljem - with a field)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -om. (e.g., sa sestrom - with a sister, sa zemljom - with land)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -ima. (e.g., s bratovima - with brothers, s učiteljima - with teachers, sa sestrama - with sisters, sa selima - with villages)

• Adjectives:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -im. (e.g., s dobrim bratom - with a good brother, s nježnim učiteljem - with a tender teacher)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -om. (e.g., s dobrom sestrom - with a good sister, s nježnom ženom - with a tender woman)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -im. (e.g., s dobrim bratovima - with good brothers, s nježnim učiteljima - with tender teachers)

• Examples: Idem s prijateljem (I am going with a friend). Oni razgovaraju s nama (They are talking with us). Pišem olovkom (I am writing with a pen). Ona je dobra studentica (She is a good student - present tense of 'to be' included). Mi smo dobri studenti (We are good students - present tense of 'to be' included).