A1 Prepositions 1 min read سهل

Using 'Su' (With) and the Instrumental

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Lithuanian, use the preposition 'su' followed by the Instrumental case to express accompaniment or means.

  • Use 'su' + Instrumental case for people: 'Su draugu' (With a friend).
  • Use 'su' + Instrumental case for objects: 'Su šaukštu' (With a spoon).
  • The noun ending changes to indicate the Instrumental case, usually ending in -u, -iu, or -umi.
Su + [Noun in Instrumental Case]

Instrumental Case Endings (Singular)

Nominative Instrumental Example (Nom) Example (Inst)
-as
-u
Draugas
Su draugu
-is
-iu
Brolis
Su broliu
-a
-a
Mama
Su mama
-ė
-e
Kėdė
Su kėde
-us
-umi
Sūnus
Su sūnumi
-uo
-eniu
Duo
Su dukteriu

Meanings

The preposition 'su' is used to indicate accompaniment (with someone) or the instrument/means used to perform an action (with something).

1

Accompaniment

Being in the company of someone.

“Einu su mama.”

“Jis kalbasi su mokytoju.”

2

Instrument/Means

Using an object to perform a task.

“Valgau su šaukštu.”

“Rašau su pieštuku.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Using 'Su' (With) and the Instrumental
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Su + Inst
Einu su draugu.
Negative
Ne + Verb + su + Inst
Neinu su draugu.
Question
Ar + Verb + su + Inst?
Ar eini su draugu?
Plural
Su + Inst Plural
Einu su draugais.
Adjective Agreement
Su + Adj(Inst) + Noun(Inst)
Su geru draugu.

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
Einu su savo draugu.

Einu su savo draugu. (Social)

محايد
Einu su draugu.

Einu su draugu. (Social)

غير رسمي
Varau su draugu.

Varau su draugu. (Social)

عامية
Einu su biču.

Einu su biču. (Social)

The 'Su' Universe

Su

People

  • draugu friend
  • mama mom

Objects

  • šaukštu spoon
  • peiliu knife

أمثلة حسب المستوى

1

Aš einu su draugu.

I am going with a friend.

2

Valgau su šaukštu.

I am eating with a spoon.

3

Jis kalba su mama.

He is talking with mom.

4

Einu su šunimi.

I am going with the dog.

1

Mes einame į kiną su draugais.

We are going to the cinema with friends.

2

Rašau laišką su pieštuku.

I am writing a letter with a pencil.

3

Ji geria kavą su pienu.

She is drinking coffee with milk.

4

Važiuoju namo su autobusu.

I am going home by bus.

1

Jis dirba su dideliu entuziazmu.

He works with great enthusiasm.

2

Susitikau su senu pažįstamu.

I met with an old acquaintance.

3

Keliaujame su visa šeima.

We are traveling with the whole family.

4

Pjaunu mėsą su aštriu peiliu.

I am cutting meat with a sharp knife.

1

Sutartis buvo pasirašyta su visais priedais.

The contract was signed with all attachments.

2

Ji susidūrė su netikėtais sunkumais.

She encountered unexpected difficulties.

3

Mes bendradarbiaujame su šia įmone.

We cooperate with this company.

4

Jis kalbėjo su dideliu pasitikėjimu.

He spoke with great confidence.

1

Tai susiję su mūsų ankstesniu susitarimu.

This is related to our previous agreement.

2

Jis elgėsi su derama pagarba.

He acted with due respect.

3

Susidūriau su dilema.

I encountered a dilemma.

4

Tai buvo padaryta su meistriškumu.

It was done with mastery.

1

Šis reiškinys neatsiejamas su kultūriniu kontekstu.

This phenomenon is inseparable from the cultural context.

2

Jis kalbėjo su ironiška šypsena.

He spoke with an ironic smile.

3

Tai suderinama su mūsų vertybėmis.

This is compatible with our values.

4

Susidūrimas su realybe buvo skaudus.

The encounter with reality was painful.

سهل الخلط

Using 'Su' (With) and the Instrumental مقابل Su vs. Ir

Learners use 'ir' (and) when they mean 'with' (accompaniment).

Using 'Su' (With) and the Instrumental مقابل Instrumental vs. Dative

Learners use Dative for 'with' because they translate from languages where it might be similar.

Using 'Su' (With) and the Instrumental مقابل Nominative vs. Instrumental

Learners forget to decline the noun after 'su'.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

Su draugas

✓

Su draugu

Nominative used instead of Instrumental.
✗

Su mama

✓

Su mama

Wait, this is correct! But learners often think it's wrong because it doesn't change.
✗

Su šaukštas

✓

Su šaukštu

Nominative used instead of Instrumental.
✗

Su brolis

✓

Su broliu

Nominative used instead of Instrumental.
✗

Su draugai

✓

Su draugais

Nominative plural used instead of Instrumental plural.
✗

Su pienas

✓

Su pienu

Nominative used instead of Instrumental.
✗

Su autobusas

✓

Su autobusu

Nominative used instead of Instrumental.
✗

Su didelis draugas

✓

Su dideliu draugu

Adjective not in Instrumental.
✗

Su laimė

✓

Su laime

Incorrect ending for feminine noun.
✗

Su sūnus

✓

Su sūnumi

Incorrect ending for -us noun.
✗

Su realybė

✓

Su realybe

Incorrect ending for -ė noun.
✗

Su susitarimas

✓

Su susitarimu

Nominative used in formal writing.
✗

Su meistriškumas

✓

Su meistriškumu

Nominative used in formal writing.

أنماط الجُمل

Aš einu į ___ su ___.

Aš valgau ___ su ___.

Jis dirba su ___.

Mes susitikome su ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Einu su draugais.

Restaurant very common

Kava su pienu.

Work Email common

Dirbu su šiuo projektu.

Travel common

Keliauju su lagaminu.

Social Media constant

Su geriausia drauge!

Job Interview occasional

Turiu patirties su šia technologija.

💡

Check the ending

Always look at the noun's ending after 'su'. If it's the same as the nominative, you might be wrong!
⚠️

Don't use Dative

It's easy to mix up cases, but 'su' is strictly Instrumental.
🎯

Practice with objects

Name everything you use in a day with 'su' + [object].
💬

Be natural

Lithuanians appreciate when you use the correct case; it shows you care.

Smart Tips

Always learn the Instrumental form alongside the Nominative form.

I don't know how to say 'with a cat'. → I know 'katė' becomes 'kate', so 'su kate'.

Check every 'su' in your text.

Su draugas. → Su draugu.

Pause slightly before the noun to recall the case.

Su... draugas. → Su... draugu.

Identify the 'su' and the noun ending.

Just reading past it. → Noticing 'su' + Instrumental.

النطق

/su/

Su

Pronounced like 'soo' in 'soon'.

Statement

Einu su draugu ↘

Falling intonation for neutral statements.

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

Su is like a glue; it sticks the noun to the Instrumental case.

ربط بصري

Imagine a person holding a giant spoon (šaukštas) that turns into a spoon-shaped 'u' (šaukštu) whenever they say 'su'.

Rhyme

When you say 'su', the noun changes too; add an 'u' or 'iu' to make it true.

Story

Jonas wants to eat soup. He grabs his spoon. He says, 'Su šaukštu!' (With a spoon). Then he sees his friend. He says, 'Su draugu!' (With a friend). He is happy because he used the Instrumental case correctly.

Word Web

draugušaukštumamapeiliubroliuautobusu

تحدٍّ

For 5 minutes, point at 5 objects in your room and say 'Su [object in Instrumental]' aloud.

ملاحظات ثقافية

Lithuanians value directness. Using 'su' correctly shows you respect their language structure.

The Instrumental case in Lithuanian is a remnant of the Proto-Indo-European instrumental case.

بدايات محادثة

“

Su kuo eini į kiną?

“

Su kuo valgai sriubą?

“

Su kuo dažniausiai bendrauji?

“

Su kokiu įrankiu dirbi?

مواضيع للكتابة اليومية

Write about your best friend.
Describe your favorite meal and how you eat it.
Describe a typical day at work/school.
Reflect on a recent challenge you faced.

أخطاء شائعة

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct Instrumental form.

Einu su ___ (draugas).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: draugu
Masculine -as becomes -u.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Su mama
Feminine -a stays -a in Instrumental.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Valgau su šaukštas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Valgau su šaukštu
Instrumental is required.
Change to Instrumental. Sentence Transformation

Brolis -> Su ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: broliu
Masculine -is becomes -iu.
Match the noun to its Instrumental form. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kėde, Sūnumi, Peiliu
Correct endings.
Choose the correct adjective agreement. اختيار متعدد

Su ___ draugu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: geru
Adjective must match the noun's case.
Fill in the correct plural form.

Einu su ___ (draugai).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: draugais
Plural Instrumental is -ais.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jis dirba su komanda.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis dirba su komanda
Already correct.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Fill in the correct Instrumental form.

Einu su ___ (draugas).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: draugu
Masculine -as becomes -u.
Choose the correct sentence. اختيار متعدد

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Su mama
Feminine -a stays -a in Instrumental.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Valgau su šaukštas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Valgau su šaukštu
Instrumental is required.
Change to Instrumental. Sentence Transformation

Brolis -> Su ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: broliu
Masculine -is becomes -iu.
Match the noun to its Instrumental form. Match Pairs

Match: Kėdė, Sūnus, Peilis

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kėde, Sūnumi, Peiliu
Correct endings.
Choose the correct adjective agreement. اختيار متعدد

Su ___ draugu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: geru
Adjective must match the noun's case.
Fill in the correct plural form.

Einu su ___ (draugai).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: draugais
Plural Instrumental is -ais.
Correct the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jis dirba su komanda.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jis dirba su komanda
Already correct.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

Yes, it always requires the Instrumental case.

Some nouns, like 'mama', have the same form in Nominative and Instrumental.

No, 'su' is for accompaniment or tools.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Because 'su' requires the Instrumental case.

Yes, e.g., 'su draugais'.

Yes, 'ir' is 'and', 'su' is 'with'.

It depends on the noun's gender and ending.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

con

Lithuanian requires a case change (Instrumental) while Spanish does not.

French high

avec

Lithuanian requires a case change (Instrumental) while French does not.

German moderate

mit

German uses Dative, while Lithuanian uses Instrumental.

Japanese partial

to

Japanese particles are post-positional, while Lithuanian 'su' is a preposition.

Arabic moderate

ma'a

Arabic does not use a case system in the same way for this preposition.

Chinese low

gen

Chinese has no case system.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Nominative Case

Prerequisite

Base form knowledge.

Locative Case

Similar

Another common case.

Genitive Case

Contrast

Often confused with other cases.

Adjective Agreement

Builds On

Needed for complex sentences.

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