A2 · Elementary Chapter 23

The Instrumental Case: Means and Company

7 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of the Instrumental case to describe how and with whom you act.

  • Identify the Instrumental case endings for nouns and adjectives.
  • Use prepositions like 's' and 'pod' to describe positions and relationships.
  • Express actions performed by means of specific tools or methods.
Master the 'how' and 'with whom' of Croatian.

What You'll Learn

Master the Instrumental case, used to express the means by which an action is performed or with whom it's done. You'll learn to say 'with' or 'by means of'.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: describe a typical day, including who you are with and what tools you use.

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The 's' rule

Always remember 's' for company. If you are with someone, you need 's'!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Case for Means and Company (S kim? Čime?)
💡

The 'S' Rule

Always remember to add 's' when you are with a person. Without it, you are just naming them.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Endings for Nouns (All Genders)
💡

Check the gender

Always identify the noun's gender first.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Adjective Agreement
💡

The 'sa' rule

Always use 'sa' before words starting with s, š, z, ž.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Prepositions Governing Instrumental (s/sa, pod, nad, pred, za)

Key Vocabulary (6)

s with olovka pencil prijatelj friend pod under put way/path nov new

Real-World Preview

coffee

Coffee with a Friend

Review Summary

  • Noun + Instrumental Ending
  • s + Instrumental Noun

Common Mistakes

You must use the Instrumental ending after the preposition 's'.

Wrong: S prijatelj
Correct: S prijateljem

When expressing means (by means of), you don't need 's'. Just use the Instrumental form.

Wrong: Pišem s olovka
Correct: Pišem olovkom

Adjectives must also match the case of the noun they modify.

Wrong: S dobrim prijatelj
Correct: S dobrim prijateljem

Next Steps

You are doing fantastic! Keep practicing these cases and you'll be speaking Croatian fluently in no time.

Write 5 sentences about your hobbies using the Instrumental case.

Continue to: The Vocative Case: Calling Out Names

Quick Practice (10)

Choose the correct form.

Putujem ___ (vlak).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vlakom
Means of transport takes Instrumental.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental for Time and Place (e.g., ljeti, putem)

Fill in the blank with the correct Instrumental form.

Pišem ___ (olovka).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: olovkom
Feminine noun + -om.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing 'By Means of' (Čime?)

Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Use 's' for accompaniment.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing 'With' (S kim?)

Fill in the blank.

Prolazimo ___ (trg).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: trgom
Movement through a square.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental for Time and Place (e.g., ljeti, putem)

Select the correct form.

Pišem ___ (olovka).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: olovkom
Instrumental of olovka is olovkom.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Endings for Nouns (All Genders)

Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s
Accompaniment uses 's'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Prepositions Governing Instrumental (s/sa, pod, nad, pred, za)

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Idem s prijatelj.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s prijateljem
Need 's' and Instrumental ending.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Endings for Nouns (All Genders)

Choose the correct form.

___ (Zima) pada snijeg.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Zimi
Instrumental for time.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental for Time and Place (e.g., ljeti, putem)

Choose the correct preposition.

Idem ___ ženom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sa
Use 'sa' before 'ž'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing 'With' (S kim?)

Choose the correct form.

Pišem ___ (crna) olovkom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: crnom
Feminine instrumental is -om.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Instrumental Adjective Agreement

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Use 'sa' before words starting with s, z, š, ž to make pronunciation easier.
No, only when indicating company. For means, you don't use a preposition.
Use 'sa' before words starting with s, š, z, ž to make pronunciation easier.
No, it's for tools, transport, and ingredients too.
It's for pronunciation. Use 'sa' before words starting with 's', 'z', 'š', 'ž' or clusters.
No, only for accompaniment. For instruments, you don't use 's'.
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The Locative Case: Where Things Are
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The Vocative Case: Calling Out Names
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