Prepositions with Instrumental for Manner (s, bez)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 's' + Instrumental to describe how an action is performed with a quality, and 'bez' + Genitive for its absence.
- Use 's' (or 'sa') + Instrumental for positive manner: 'S radošću' (With joy).
- Use 'sa' instead of 's' before s, z, š, ž or difficult clusters: 'Sa zanimanjem'.
- Use 'bez' + Genitive for negative manner: 'Bez straha' (Without fear).
Instrumental Case Endings for Manner
| Gender | Noun Type | Ending | Example (with 's/sa') |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
Hard Consonant
|
-om
|
s ponosom (with pride)
|
|
Masculine
|
Soft Consonant (č, ć, dž, đ, j, lj, nj, š, ž)
|
-em
|
s mačem (with a sword)
|
|
Neuter
|
Standard
|
-om
|
s pismom (with a letter)
|
|
Neuter
|
Soft Consonant / -e
|
-em
|
s veseljem (with joy)
|
|
Feminine
|
Ending in -a
|
-om
|
s nadom (with hope)
|
|
Feminine
|
Ending in Consonant (i-type)
|
-ju / -šću
|
s radošću (with joy)
|
|
Plural
|
Masc/Neut
|
-ima
|
s problemima (with problems)
|
|
Plural
|
Feminine
|
-ama
|
s djevojkama (with girls)
|
The 'S' vs 'Sa' Rule
| Form | Condition | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
s
|
Most consonants and all vowels
|
s autom, s prijateljem
|
|
sa
|
Before s, z, š, ž
|
sa sirom, sa školom
|
|
sa
|
Before clusters like ps, ks, pš
|
sa pšenicom, sa psihologom
|
|
sa
|
Before the pronoun 'mnom'
|
sa mnom (with me)
|
Meanings
These prepositions function as adverbial modifiers, describing the internal state or external method accompanying an action.
Emotional Manner
Expressing the emotion with which someone does something.
“Pjeva s tugom.”
“Gleda me s ljubavlju.”
Professional/Formal Manner
Standard phrases used in business or formal correspondence.
“S poštovanjem,”
“S osobitim zadovoljstvom vas obavještavamo...”
Negative Manner (Absence)
Using 'bez' to show a lack of a specific quality during an action.
“Prošao je bez problema.”
“Pojela je juhu bez volje.”
Reference Table
| Function | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Positive Manner
|
s/sa + Instrumental
|
S pažnjom (With attention)
|
|
Negative Manner
|
bez + Genitive
|
Bez pažnje (Without attention)
|
|
Accompaniment
|
s/sa + Instrumental
|
S bratom (With brother)
|
|
Tool/Means
|
Instrumental (no preposition)
|
Pišem olovkom (I write with a pencil)
|
|
Tool (with 's')
|
s/sa + Instrumental (Rare/Specific)
|
Sjekira s drškom (Axe with a handle)
|
|
Fixed Phrase
|
bez + Genitive
|
Bez obzira (Regardless)
|
|
Formal Closing
|
s/sa + Instrumental
|
S poštovanjem (Respectfully)
|
Spectre de formalité
S osobitim štovanjem (Closing a letter/email)
S poštovanjem (Closing a letter/email)
S respektom (Closing a letter/email)
Svaka čast (Closing a letter/email)
The Spectrum of Manner
Positive (S + Instr.)
- s ljubavlju with love
- s mirom with peace
Negative (Bez + Gen.)
- bez straha without fear
- bez nade without hope
S vs. Sa Selection
Choosing the right 'S'
Does the word start with S, Z, Š, or Ž?
Is it a difficult cluster (ps, ks)?
Exemples par niveau
Kava s mlijekom.
Coffee with milk.
Idem s tatom.
I am going with dad.
Čaj bez šećera.
Tea without sugar.
On je bez auta.
He is without a car.
Pišem s olovkom.
I am writing with a pencil.
Govori sa smijehom.
He speaks with laughter.
Došao je bez novca.
He came without money.
Radi sa sestrom.
He works with his sister.
Gleda me s tugom u očima.
He looks at me with sadness in his eyes.
Pobijedili smo s lakoćom.
We won with ease.
Ostao je bez daha.
He remained without breath (out of breath).
Putujemo s radošću.
We travel with joy.
Odgovorila je sa zadrškom.
She answered with hesitation.
Postupajte s oprezom pri rukovanju.
Proceed with caution when handling.
Bez obzira na kišu, idemo van.
Regardless of (without regard for) the rain, we are going out.
Prihvatio je ponudu s oduševljenjem.
He accepted the offer with enthusiasm.
Govorio je s neskrivenim prijezirom.
He spoke with undisguised contempt.
Projekt je završen s polovičnim uspjehom.
The project was finished with partial success.
Bez ikakve sumnje, on je kriv.
Without any doubt, he is guilty.
Promatrao je scenu s mješavinom straha i divljenja.
He observed the scene with a mixture of fear and admiration.
Obratio se skupu s urođenom rječitošću.
He addressed the gathering with innate eloquence.
Djelovao je s predumišljajem.
He acted with premeditation.
Bez ustezanja je iznio svoje kritike.
He voiced his criticisms without hesitation/restraint.
Sve je nestalo s prohujalim vremenom.
Everything vanished with the passing time.
Facile à confondre
Learners often use 's' for tools (e.g., 's olovkom') because they think 'with' always needs 's'.
Thinking that because 's' takes Instrumental, its opposite 'bez' must too.
Using 's' before sibilants makes it sound like one long consonant.
Erreurs courantes
Idem s tata.
Idem s tatom.
Kava bez mlijekom.
Kava bez mlijeka.
S sumnjom.
Sa sumnjom.
S mnom.
Sa mnom.
S ljubavi.
S ljubavlju.
Radi s trudom.
Radi s velikim trudom.
S obzirom da...
S obzirom na to da...
Structures de phrases
Radim to s ___.
On je otišao bez ___.
S ___ vas obavještavamo da...
Gledao je film sa ___.
Real World Usage
Uvijek radim s punom predanošću.
Može, bez brige!
Molim vas, pizzu bez gljiva.
Uživamo s najboljim društvom!
Otvorite s oprezom.
Tražimo sobu s pogledom na more.
The 'Sa Mnom' Rule
Case Consistency
Adjective Agreement
Politeness
Smart Tips
Replace simple adverbs with 's' + abstract noun.
Pause and add the 'a' to your preposition immediately.
Remember that 'bez' often removes the need for an article in English, but the case ending is mandatory in Croatian.
Use the 'i-type' feminine Instrumental endings for words like 'radost', 'tuga', 'ljubav'.
Prononciation
Proclitic 's'
The preposition 's' has no accent and is pronounced as part of the following word.
Voicing assimilation
The 's' can sound like 'z' before voiced consonants (e.g., 's bogom' sounds like 'zbogom').
Rising on 'Sa'
Sa sumnjom? ↗
Expressing disbelief or questioning the manner.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Remember the 'Sibilant Sa': If it hisses (S, Z, Š, Ž), add an 'A' so it doesn't miss!
Association visuelle
Imagine a snake (S) trying to talk to another snake. It needs a vowel (A) in between to be heard. 'Sa sumnjom'.
Rhyme
S i Instrumental, to je par, Bez i Genitiv, to je stvar!
Story
Marko walked into the room 's ponosom' (with pride). He spoke 'sa žarom' (with fervor), but his sister listened 'bez interesa' (without interest).
Word Web
Défi
Write 5 sentences describing how you did things today using 's' + Instrumental (e.g., 'Popio sam kavu s užitkom').
Notes culturelles
Strict adherence to the 'sa' rule is expected in formal education and media.
Often drops the final 'm' in Instrumental endings, turning '-om' into '-on'.
May use 'sa' more frequently than 's' even where not strictly required by the sibilant rule.
Derived from Proto-Slavic *sъ (with) and *bez (without).
Amorces de conversation
S kakvim osjećajem ideš na posao?
Možeš li zamisliti život bez interneta?
Kako si riješio taj teški zadatak?
S kojim ciljem učiš hrvatski jezik?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
___ sumnjom je gledao u mene.
On pije kavu bez ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Pričao je s mnom cijelu noć.
On radi ___.
S ___.
A: Kako si spavao? B: Jako dobro, ___.
The preposition 'sa' is used before words starting with 'ž'.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercises___ sumnjom je gledao u mene.
On pije kavu bez ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Pričao je s mnom cijelu noć.
On radi ___.
S ___.
A: Kako si spavao? B: Jako dobro, ___.
The preposition 'sa' is used before words starting with 'ž'.
1. S, 2. Bez
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Use 'sa' before words starting with s, z, š, ž, or difficult clusters like ps, ks. Also always use it with 'mnom'.
No, in Croatian, tools usually take the Instrumental case WITHOUT a preposition: 'čekićem'. Using 's' implies the hammer is accompanying you, not being used as a tool.
Yes, 'bez' always requires the Genitive case, regardless of whether it describes manner, possession, or accompaniment.
'Radosno' is an adverb (joyfully), while 's radošću' is a prepositional phrase (with joy). The latter is often more formal or emphatic.
These 'i-type' nouns end in '-ju' or '-šću'. For 'ljubav', it is 'ljubavlju'.
It is neutral and used in all registers. It is the only grammatically correct form.
Standard Croatian requires 's osmijehom' because 'o' is a vowel. However, in some dialects, 'sa' is used more broadly.
It is a fixed phrase meaning 'regardless' or 'without regard'. It's very common in B2 level discourse.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
with / without
English doesn't change the noun ending or the preposition based on the following letter.
mit + Dative / ohne + Accusative
German 'mit' always takes Dative, while Croatian 's' takes Instrumental.
con / sin
Spanish has no noun declension (cases).
с + Instrumental / без + Genitive
Russian uses 'so' instead of 'sa', and the specific noun endings differ slightly.
avec / sans
French uses articles more strictly with 'avec' than Croatian does with 's'.
bi- / bidūn
Arabic uses prefixes and a different case system (Genitive/Jarr).
yòng / méiyǒu
Chinese has no prepositions or cases in the European sense.
