Family

The Instrumental Case: With and By Means Of

The Instrumental case primarily shows with whom or with what an action is done, or by means of what. It's always used with a preposition (most commonly s - with) or after certain verbs, including jest (to be) when describing someone's profession or state.

• Nouns:

  • Singular Masc/Neuter: hard -om, soft -em. (e.g., s bratom - with a brother, s učitelem - with a teacher, s selom - with a village, s poljem - with a field)
  • Singular Feminine: hard -oju, soft -eju. (e.g., s sestroju - with a sister, s zemljeju - with land)
  • Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ami. (e.g., s bratami - with brothers, s učiteljami - with teachers, s sestrami - with sisters, s selami - with villages)

• Adjectives:

  • Singular Masc/Neuter: hard -ym, soft -im. (e.g., s dobrym bratom - with a good brother, s svěžim učiteljem - with a fresh teacher)
  • Singular Feminine: hard -oju, soft -eju. (e.g., s dobroju sestroju - with a good sister, s svěžoju zemleju - with fresh land)
  • Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ymi. (e.g., s dobrymi bratanami - with good brothers, s svěžymi učiteljami - with fresh teachers)

• Examples: Idem s prijateljem (I am going with a friend). Oni govorjat s nami (They are talking with us). Pišem perom (I am writing with a pen). Ona jest dobroju studentkoju (She is a good student). My jesmo dobrymi studentami (We are good students).