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/so - with) or after certain verbs, including the verb byť (to be) when describing someone's profession or state.

• Nouns:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -om. (e.g., s bratom - with a brother, s učiteľom - with a teacher, s mestom - with a city, s poľom - with a field)
  • Singular Feminine: ending -ou. (e.g., so sestrou - with a sister, so zemou - with land)
  • Plural (all genders): ending -ami. (e.g., s bratmi - with brothers, s učiteľmi - with teachers, so sestrami - with sisters, s mestami - with cities)

• Adjectives:

  • Singular Masculine/Neuter: hard -ým, soft -ím. (e.g., s dobrým bratom - with a good brother, s cudzím učiteľom - with a foreign teacher)
  • Singular Feminine: hard -ou, soft -ou. (e.g., s dobrou sestrou - with a good sister, s cudzou ženou - with a foreign woman)
  • Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ými. (e.g., s dobrými bratmi - with good brothers, s cudzími učiteľmi - with foreign teachers)

• Examples: Idem s priateľom (I am going with a friend). Oni hovoria s nami (They are talking with us). Píšem perom (I am writing with a pen). Ona je dobrou študentkou (She is a good student). My sme dobrými študentmi (We are good students).