A2 Prepositions 1 min read Fácil

Expressing 'With' (S kim?)

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Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To say 'with' in Croatian, use the preposition 's' followed by the noun in the Instrumental case.

  • Use 's' + Instrumental case for people: 's prijateljem' (with a friend).
  • Use 's' + Instrumental case for objects: 's olovkom' (with a pen).
  • If the noun starts with 's', 'š', 'z', or 'ž', use 'sa' to avoid a tongue-twister.
s + [Noun in Instrumental Case]

Instrumental Case Endings (Singular)

Gender Ending Example (Nominative) Example (Instrumental)
Masculine
-om/-em
prijatelj
s prijateljem
Feminine
-om
Marija
s Marijom
Neuter
-om/-em
dijete
s djetetom
Masculine
-om
stol
sa stolom
Feminine
-om
žena
sa ženom
Neuter
-om
more
s morem

Meanings

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

1

Accompaniment

Being in the company of someone.

“Pijem kavu s Marijom.”

“Šećem s psom.”

2

Instrument/Tool

Using an object to complete a task.

“Pišem s olovkom.”

“Režem kruh s nožem.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Expressing 'With' (S kim?)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
s + Instrumental
Idem s njim.
Negative
ne + verb + s + Instrumental
Ne idem s njim.
Question
s + kim/čime + verb?
S kim ideš?
Phonetic Rule
sa + s/z/š/ž
Sa ženom.
Tool
s + Instrumental
Pišem s olovkom.
Plural
s + Instrumental (plural)
S prijateljima.

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Idem sa svojim prijateljem.

Idem sa svojim prijateljem. (Social)

Neutral
Idem s prijateljem.

Idem s prijateljem. (Social)

Informal
Idem s frendom.

Idem s frendom. (Social)

Jerga
Idem s ekipom.

Idem s ekipom. (Social)

The 'With' Concept Map

S / SA

People

  • s prijateljem with a friend

Tools

  • s olovkom with a pen

Phonetics

  • sa ženom with a woman

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Idem s prijateljem.

I am going with a friend.

2

Pijem kavu s mlijekom.

I am drinking coffee with milk.

3

Šećem s psom.

I am walking with a dog.

4

Radim s mamom.

I am working with mom.

1

Razgovaram s profesorom o ispitu.

I am talking with the professor about the exam.

2

Pišem s olovkom.

I am writing with a pen.

3

Idem u kino sa ženom.

I am going to the cinema with the woman.

4

Putujem s bratom.

I am traveling with my brother.

1

Slažem se s tvojim mišljenjem.

I agree with your opinion.

2

On živi s roditeljima u Zagrebu.

He lives with his parents in Zagreb.

3

Moramo razgovarati sa šefom.

We must talk with the boss.

4

Slikao sam se s prijateljima.

I took a photo with friends.

1

Borio se s vjetrom cijeli dan.

He fought with the wind all day.

2

Surađujemo s tvrtkom iz Njemačke.

We are collaborating with a company from Germany.

3

Sretan sam sa svojim životom.

I am happy with my life.

4

Sve je u redu s projektom.

Everything is fine with the project.

1

Suočio se s problemima s hrabrošću.

He faced the problems with courage.

2

Sjedim s kolegama za stolom.

I am sitting with colleagues at the table.

3

Složio se sa svim uvjetima.

He agreed with all the conditions.

4

Služio se s različitim alatima.

He used various tools.

1

S obzirom na situaciju, moramo biti oprezni.

Given the situation, we must be careful.

2

S punim povjerenjem gledam u budućnost.

I look to the future with full confidence.

3

S vremenom će sve postati jasno.

With time, everything will become clear.

4

S velikim zadovoljstvom prihvaćam poziv.

I accept the invitation with great pleasure.

Fácil de confundir

Expressing 'With' (S kim?) vs Instrumental vs Genitive

Both can follow prepositions.

Expressing 'With' (S kim?) vs s vs sa

When to use which.

Expressing 'With' (S kim?) vs Instrumental vs Nominative

Using base form after 's'.

Errores comunes

✗

s prijatelj

✓

s prijateljem

Forgot to change the noun to Instrumental.
✗

s Marija

✓

s Marijom

Forgot to change the noun to Instrumental.
✗

sa prijateljem

✓

s prijateljem

Used 'sa' where 's' is correct.
✗

s olovka

✓

s olovkom

Forgot to change the noun to Instrumental.
✗

s ženom

✓

sa ženom

Forgot the phonetic rule for 'ž'.
✗

s sestra

✓

sa sestrom

Forgot the phonetic rule for 's'.
✗

s prijatelji

✓

s prijateljima

Used singular instead of plural.
✗

s mojim prijatelj

✓

s mojim prijateljem

Forgot to decline the adjective.
✗

s tvoja sestra

✓

s tvojom sestrom

Forgot to decline the adjective.
✗

s on

✓

s njim

Used Nominative pronoun instead of Instrumental.
✗

s obzirom na činjenice

✓

s obzirom na činjenice

Often confused with 'u vezi s'.

Patrones de oraciones

Idem ___ ___.

Pišem ___ ___.

Razgovaram ___ ___ o poslu.

Zadovoljan sam ___ ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Idem van s ekipom.

Cafe very common

Kava s mlijekom, molim.

Work common

Radim s kolegama.

Travel common

Putujem s obitelji.

School common

Učim s prijateljem.

Job Interview occasional

Surađivao sam s timom.

💡

Phonetic Rule

Always use 'sa' before s, z, š, ž. It makes you sound like a local.
⚠️

Case Change

Don't forget to change the noun ending! 's prijatelj' is wrong.
🎯

Adjectives

If you use an adjective, it must also be in the Instrumental case.
💬

Socializing

Use 's' to invite people out. It's the most common way to suggest plans.

Smart Tips

Switch 's' to 'sa'.

s ženom → sa ženom

Use 'sa mnom'.

s mene → sa mnom

Use 's njim' or 's njom'.

s on → s njim

Use 's prijateljima'.

s prijatelji → s prijateljima

Pronunciación

sa ženom /s-a-ž-e-n-o-m/

s vs sa

Use 'sa' before words starting with s, z, š, ž, or clusters.

Statement

Idem s prijateljem. ↘

Falling intonation for facts.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

S is for Social, Sa is for S-sounds.

Asociación visual

Imagine a person holding a pen (s olovkom) while walking with a friend (s prijateljem).

Rhyme

S for friend, Olovkom for pen, add -om to the end, and you're there my friend.

Story

Marko goes to the cafe. He sits with his friend (s prijateljem). He writes a note with a pen (s olovkom). He talks with his wife (sa ženom).

Word Web

ssaprijateljolovkakavakolegainstrumental

Desafío

Write 5 sentences about your day using 's' and 'sa' in 5 minutes.

Notas culturales

Using 's' is very common in social life. Croatians value coffee culture, so 'kava s mlijekom' is a staple.

The preposition 's' comes from Proto-Slavic *sъ.

Inicios de conversación

“

S kim ideš u kino?

“

S čime pišeš?

“

S kim najviše voliš razgovarati?

“

Jesi li zadovoljan sa svojim poslom?

Temas para diario

Describe your best friend.
What do you use to study?
Describe a typical day at work.
How has your life changed with time?

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Use 's' for accompaniment.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Pišem ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s olovkom
Instrumental case is required.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Idem s Marija.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s Marijom
Marija becomes Marijom in Instrumental.
Order the words. Sentence Building

s / prijateljem / idem / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja idem s prijateljem
Standard word order.
Match the noun with its Instrumental form. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: prijateljem
Correct Instrumental ending.
Choose the correct preposition. Opción múltiple

Idem ___ ženom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sa
Use 'sa' before 'ž'.
Fill in the blank.

Slažem se ___ tvojim mišljenjem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Standard usage.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Idem s njim.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne idem s njim
Correct negation.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Use 's' for accompaniment.
Choose the correct form. Opción múltiple

Pišem ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s olovkom
Instrumental case is required.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Idem s Marija.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s Marijom
Marija becomes Marijom in Instrumental.
Order the words. Sentence Building

s / prijateljem / idem / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja idem s prijateljem
Standard word order.
Match the noun with its Instrumental form. Match Pairs

prijatelj -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: prijateljem
Correct Instrumental ending.
Choose the correct preposition. Opción múltiple

Idem ___ ženom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sa
Use 'sa' before 'ž'.
Fill in the blank.

Slažem se ___ tvojim mišljenjem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Standard usage.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Idem s njim.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne idem s njim
Correct negation.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

Use 'sa' before words starting with 's', 'z', 'š', 'ž' to make it easier to say.

Yes, in the context of accompaniment or tools.

The Instrumental case.

No, use the Genitive case for possession.

Yes, it is standard in all registers.

Use 'sa mnom'.

Use 's'.

Sometimes, e.g., 's vremenom' (with time).

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

German high

mit + Dative

German uses Dative, Croatian uses Instrumental.

French moderate

avec + noun

French has no case system for nouns.

Spanish moderate

con + noun

Spanish has no case system for nouns.

Japanese low

noun + to

Japanese is a postpositional language.

Arabic low

ma'a + noun

Arabic uses a different root and prepositional system.

Chinese low

gēn + noun

Chinese is an isolating language.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Prepositions Governing Instrumental (s/sa, pod, nad, pred, za)
Next
Expressing 'By Means of' (Čime?)

Related Grammar Rules

B2

Prepositions Governing Dative and Locative (e.g., pri, k)
A1

Prepositions with Genitive (Origin & Separation)
A2

Using Locative to Express 'About' or 'On'
A2

Expressing 'By Means of' (Čime?)
B1

Prepositions Expressing Concession (unatoč, usprkos)
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