Family

The Instrumental Case: With and By Means Of

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

• Nouns:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -em. (e.g., s bratrem - with a brother, s učitelem - with a teacher, s městem - with a city, s polem - with a field)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -ou. (e.g., se sestrou - with a sister, se zemí - with land)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -ami. (e.g., s bratry - with brothers, s učiteli - with teachers, se sestrami - with sisters)

• Adjectives:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: hard -ým, soft -ím. (e.g., s dobrým bratrem - with a good brother, s jarním dnem - with a spring day)
  • Singular Feminine: hard -ou, soft -í. (e.g., s dobrou sestrou - with a good sister, s jarní květinou - with a spring flower)
  • Plural (all genders): hard -ými, soft -ími. (e.g., s dobrými bratry - with good brothers, s jarními květinami - with spring flowers)

• Examples: Jdu s přítelem (I am going with a friend). Oni mluví s námi (They are talking with us). Píšu perem (I am writing with a pen). Ona je dobrou studentkou (She is a good student). My jsme dobrými studenty (We are good students).