Family

The Instrumental Case: With and By Means Of

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

• Nouns:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -em. (e.g., z bratem - with a brother, z nauczycielem - with a teacher, z miastem - with a city, z polem - with a field)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -ą. (e.g., z siostrą - with a sister, z ziemią - with the earth)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -ami. (e.g., z studentami - with students, z nauczycielami - with teachers, z siostrami - with sisters, z miastami - with cities)

• Adjectives:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -ym or -im. (e.g., z dobrym bratem - with a good brother, z ostatnim nauczycielem - with the last teacher)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -ą. (e.g., z dobrą siostrą - with a good sister, z ostatnią ziemią - with the last piece of land)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -ymi or -imi. (e.g., z dobrymi braćmi - with good brothers, z ostatnimi nauczycielami - with the last teachers)

• Examples: Idę z przyjacielem (I am going with a friend). Oni rozmawiają z nami (They are talking with us). Piszę piórem (I am writing with a pen). Ona jest dobrą studentką (She is a good student). My jesteśmy dobrymi studentami (We are good students).