Instrumental of Nouns, Adjectives and Demonstrative Pronouns

Instrumental of Nouns, Adjectives and Demonstrative Pronouns

Instrumental of Nouns, Adjectives and Demonstrative Pronouns
MA
MI
HARD
Adj. + Noun
s velkým pánem
se starým hradem
SOFT
Adj. + Noun
s cizím mužem
s cizím strojem
F
s mladou ženou
s cizí ruží
s cizí písní
s cizí kostí
N
s novým mestem
s cizím kuretem
s cizím morem
s cizím znamením
The Instrumental of the Demonstrative Pronoun ten (masculine) and to (neuter) is tím:
s tím pánem, mužem, ucitelem, hradem, strojem, mestem, morem, znamením, kuretem
The Instrumental of the Demonstrative Pronoun ta (feminine) is tou:
s tou ženou, ruží, písní, kostí
Rules to remember:
All masculine and neuter nouns take the ending --em; the only exception is the paradigm
znamení which takes the ending --ím.
Hard feminine nouns take the ending --ou.
All soft feminine nouns take the ending --í.
Prepositions which take the Instrumental:
s = with (with my brother = s bratrem)
pred = in front of, before (in front of the house = pred domem, before Thanksgiving = pred
Díkuvzdáním)
za = behind (behind the house = za domem)
nad = above (above the river = nad rekou)
pod = under, below (under the table = pod stolem)
mezi = between, among (between lunch and dinner = mezi obedem a vecerí)
However, if something or someone is moving or being placed (or has been moved/placed)
towards a certain place the prepositions pred, za, nad, pod, mezi take the Accusative.
Accusative (Kam? Whither?)
Instrumental (Kde? Where?)
Kocka utekla pod stul.
Kocka leží pod stolem.
Balon vyletel nad mesto.
Nad mestem se vznáší balon.
Karel položil pred Evu šálek kávy.
Pred Evou stojí šálek kávy.
Eva se schovala za strom.
Eva se schovává za stromem.
Posadím se mezi Evu a Karla.
Sedím mezi Karlem a Evou.
Remember: Some verbs are followed directly by the Instrumental, esp. if they denote using an
instrument (psát perem = to write with a pen, kosit trávu sekackou = to cut grass with a
lawnmower,), going through (jít mestem, lesem = to go through a city, forest), going by a vehicle
(jet autem, vlakem, autobusem, tramvají, metrem, lodí = to go by train, by car, etc., letet letadlem
= by plane), or moving something (hnout stolem = to move the table, mávat vlajkou = to wave a
flag, trást se strachem = to tremble with fear).