Contents · A1
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The instrumental is the case of company and of means. It follows s (“with”) and the prepositions of place pred, za, nad, pod and medzi, and without a preposition it names the means of transport. English has with, by and in front of; in Slovak an ending is added to the noun.
The instrumental singular and transport: s bratom, s mamou, autobusom, s novým kolegom#
Formation
The instrumental singular is formed with -om for masculine and neuter nouns and -ou for feminine nouns:
| Noun | Nominative | Instrumental |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | brat, učiteľ, kolega, autobus | s bratom, s učiteľom, s kolegom, autobusom |
| neuter | auto, mlieko | autom, s mliekom |
| neuter in -ie | námestie | námestím |
| feminine in -a | mama, kamarátka, električka | s mamou, s kamarátkou, električkou |
| feminine in -ia | Lucia, reštaurácia | s Luciou, reštauráciou |
| feminine in a consonant | loď, posteľ | loďou, posteľou |
Some stems lose their e: pes, so psom; bicykel, bicyklom. An adjective ends in -ým with a masculine or neuter noun and -ou with a feminine noun; a soft adjective in -ím and -ou. Ten becomes tým, tou, and jeden jedným, jednou: s novým kolegom, s novou kolegyňou, s cudzím učiteľom, s cudzou ženou, s tým mužom, s jednou taškou.
Use
After s the instrumental says with whom or with what: s bratom, káva s mliekom. S becomes so before a word that begins with s, z, š or ž, and in so psom and so mnou: so sestrou, so Zuzanou, chlieb so syrom. The questions are s kým? and s čím?. A means of transport is in the instrumental without a preposition: vlakom, autobusom, autom, električkou, lietadlom, loďou, bicyklom; the question is čím?. Pešo (“on foot”) is an adverb and does not change.
- Bývam s bratom a so sestrou.I live with my brother and my sister.
- Pijem kávu s mliekom a s cukrom.I drink coffee with milk and sugar.
- Do práce idem električkou, domov pešo.I go to work by tram and home on foot.
- Kristína cestuje do Viedne vlakom.Kristína is going to Vienna by train.
- Na obed idem s novou kolegyňou.I’m going to lunch with my new colleague.
Difference from English
English by train and with milk have a preposition and an unchanged noun; Slovak vlakom has an ending and no preposition, and s mliekom has both. S autobusom means “together with a bus”, not “by bus”.
Common mistakes
s kamarátka→ s kamarátkouAfter s, the noun is in the instrumental.Idem do práce s vlakom.→ Idem do práce vlakom.A means of transport takes no preposition.s sestrou→ so sestrouBefore s, the preposition is so.s kolegou→ s kolegomKolega is masculine and takes -om.
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Personal pronouns in the instrumental: so mnou, s tebou, s nami, s vami#
Formation
The pronouns of the first and second persons have the instrumental forms mnou, tebou, nami, vami; s becomes so before mnou: so mnou, s tebou, s nami, s vami. The forms of the third person are not part of A1.
Use
S vami is also the polite form for one person: Pán Baláž, chcem hovoriť s vami.
- Ideš so mnou do kina?Are you coming to the cinema with me?
- Pán Baláž, chcem hovoriť s vami.Mr Baláž, I’d like to talk to you.
- Moji rodičia bývajú s nami.My parents live with us.
- Kto je s tebou?Who’s with you?
Difference from English
English me and us are the same after every preposition; Slovak has mnou and nami after s, and other forms in other cases: pre mňa, o mne, so mnou.
Common mistakes
s ja→ so mnouAfter s, the pronoun is in the instrumental, and s becomes so.s my→ s namiThe instrumental of my is nami.
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Prepositions with the instrumental: s, so, pred, za, nad, pod, medzi#
Formation
Besides s (so, “with”), five prepositions of place are followed by the instrumental: pred (“in front of”), za (“behind”), nad (“above”), pod (“under”) and medzi (“between”). After medzi, each of the two nouns is in the instrumental: medzi bankou a poštou. In stôl the ô becomes o: pod stolom.
Use
These prepositions say where something is: Autobus stojí pred stanicou. Pred with a time noun means “before”: pred obedom. Za meaning “behind” takes the instrumental (za domom), but za after ďakovať and platiť takes the accusative (ďakujem za kávu), as explained in Prepositions with the accusative: pre, cez, na, za, po; na poštu, čakať na.
- Čakám na teba pred kinom.I’m waiting for you in front of the cinema.
- Mačka spí pod posteľou.The cat is sleeping under the bed.
- Nad stolom je starý obraz.There’s an old picture above the table.
- Banka je medzi poštou a hotelom.The bank is between the post office and the hotel.
- Záhrada je za domom.The garden is behind the house.
Difference from English
In English in front of the house and under the bed the noun does not change; Slovak pred domom and pod posteľou take the instrumental.
Common mistakes
pod stôl→ pod stolomPod meaning “under” is followed by the instrumental.medzi banka a pošta→ medzi bankou a poštouAfter medzi, both nouns take the instrumental.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine, neuter | -om; -ie: -ím | s bratom, autom |
| feminine | -ou; -ia: -iou | s mamou, s Luciou |
| adjectives | -ým / -ím, -ou | s novým kolegom, s novou kolegyňou |
| ten, jeden | tým, tou; jedným, jednou | s tým mužom |
| s or so | so before s, z, š, ž | so sestrou |
| transport | no preposition | vlakom, električkou; pešo |
| pronouns | so mnou, s tebou, s nami, s vami | Ideš so mnou? |
| place | pred, za, nad, pod, medzi | pod posteľou |
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