Mastering the Instrumental Case

Among Czech cases, instrumental stands out as a versatile tool for expressing various relationships and functions within sentences.

In this article, we will show you how and why to use it, and give you some examples in Czech.

Read on to find out more about instrumental case in Czech!

What is Instrumental Case Used For?Back to top

Czechs use instrumental case to show how something is done or what is used to do it. It can also show the condition or quality of something in specific situations.

It answers the questions "s kým?" (with whom?) or "s čím?" (with what?).

Here are some examples of instrumental case:

Means or Use of, Instrumentality:

• Píšu tužkou: I write with a pencil
• Káva s mlékem: Coffee with milk

Companionship or Association:

• Jdu se svým spolubydlícím: I am going with my flatmate
• Mám večeře s mámou: I have a dinner with mom

Of course we also need prepositions to form the instrumental case. The most common one is s/se (with). This is the only preposition which takes only instrumental case.

The others (which can take accusative case as well) are:

• mezi (between)
• nad (above)
• před (in front of)
• pod (under)
• za (behind)

Sometimes in Czech instrumental case, we don't need to use prepositions at all, even if we would use one in English. Here are some examples:

• Cestuji autobusem: I am travelling by bus
• Maluji akvarelem: I am painting with watercolors
• Jdeme tunelem: We're going through the tunnel

Instrumental vs. Accusative CasesBack to top

One thing you should be aware of: all the instrumental prepositions (except for "s") are also used with accusative case!

So how do you know when to use which case? It's easy!

Instrumental case is used for things in place, that are not moving, or are moving within one location. Accusative case is used for things that are in motion. It means something is moving towards another place.

For example:

• Instrumental: pes je před mužem – the dog is in front of the man
• Accusative: pes skočí před muže – the dog jumps in front of the man
• Instrumental: kočka je nahoře na stromě – the cat is up in the tree
• Accusative: kočka běží na strom – the cat runs up the tree

Real-World Instrumental Case ExamplesBack to top

If you live in Prague, some bus and tram stops use instrumental case:

• Mezi Hřbitovy: Between the Cemeteries
• Pod Táborem: Below Tábor
• Pod Hradem: Below the Castle
• Pod Chodovem: Below Chodov
• Nad Parkem: Above the Park
• Nad Košíkem: Above Košík
• Za Horou: Behind the Mountain
• Za Avií: Behind Avia
• Za Kapličkou: Behind the Chapel

You also might hear this phrase:

Be careful! :)

Instrumental Case Noun EndingsBack to top

As you've seen, "forming the instrumental case" means changing the endings of nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.

But forget memorizing tables! Just practice using instrumental case here! Once you memorize the patterns, you won't even have to think about it.

But if you do need it, here's a table of the instrumental noun endings:

Instrumental Case Adjective EndingsBack to top

Here are the instrumental endings for Czech adjectives:

Instrumental PronounsBack to top

Here are the instrumental forms of the Czech pronouns:

Female? Add -ou. Not female? Add -em. Simple as that.

In conclusion, Czechs use instrumental case very often in daily conversation. But it's quite easy:

• If it's female, try to add -u
• If it's not female, try to add -m
• If it's hard to say with those letters, or ends with i, add -í

You will learn it in no time. Practice and using the language daily will make you confident in Czech.

Happy learning!!