LibreLingo

Family

The Instrumental Case: With and By Means Of

The Instrumental case primarily indicates z kim or čim an action is performed, or čim. It is always used with a preposition (most commonly z/ze - with) or after certain verbs, including the verb być (to be) when describing someone's profession or state. Upper Sorbian has singular, dual, and plural forms for the Instrumental case.

  • Nouns:

    • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -om (hard) / -om (soft). (e.g., z bratom - with a brother, z učerjom - with a teacher, z městom - with a city, z polom - with a field)
    • Singular Feminine: ending -u (hard) / -u (soft). (e.g., ze sоtru - with a sister, ze zemju - with land)
    • Dual (all genders): ending -omaj. (e.g., z bratomaj - with two brothers, ze sоtromaj - with two sisters)
    • Plural (all genders): ending -ami. (e.g., z bratami - with brothers, z učerjemi - with teachers, ze sotrami - with sisters, z městami - with cities)
  • Adjectives:

    • Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -im (hard) / -im (soft). (e.g., z dobrym bratom - with a good brother, z cyzim učerjom - with a foreign teacher)
    • Singular Feminine: ending -u (hard) / -u (soft). (e.g., z dobru sotru - with a good sister, z cyzu žonu - with a foreign woman)
    • Dual (all genders): ending -imaj. (e.g., z dobrimaj bratomaj - with two good brothers, z cyzimaj sotromaj - with two foreign sisters)
    • Plural (all genders): ending -imi. (e.g., z dobrymi bratami - with good brothers, z cyzimi učerjemi - with foreign teachers)
  • Examples: Dźu z přećełom (I am going with a friend). Woni rěča z nami (They are talking with us). Pisam z wołojom (I am writing with a pencil). Wona je z dobru studentku (She is a good student - Instrumental used for state/profession). Mydwě smy z dobrej studentkaj (We two are good students - Instrumental dual used for state/profession).