A2 Adjektive 1 min read Leicht

Instrumental Adjective Agreement

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

When you use the instrumental case (with someone/something), your adjectives must change their endings to match the noun's new case.

  • Masculine/Neuter singular: add -im (e.g., s dobrim prijateljem).
  • Feminine singular: add -om (e.g., s dobrom prijateljicom).
  • Plural (all genders): add -im (e.g., s dobrim ljudima).
Preposition 's' + Adjective(-im/-om) + Noun(-om/-em/-ima)

Instrumental Adjective Endings

Gender/Number Nominative Instrumental Example
Masc. Sing.
novi
-im (novim)
s novim autom
Neut. Sing.
novo
-im (novim)
s novim selom
Fem. Sing.
nova
-om (novom)
s novom kućom
Plural (all)
novi/e/a
-im (novim)
s novim ljudima

Meanings

The instrumental case indicates accompaniment (with) or the instrument used to perform an action. Adjectives must agree with the noun's gender and number in this case.

1

Accompaniment

Doing something with someone or something.

“Pijem kavu s dragom prijateljicom.”

“Šećem sa svojim malim psom.”

2

Instrument/Means

Using an object to perform an action.

“Pišem crvenom olovkom.”

“Putujem brzim vlakom.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Instrumental Adjective Agreement
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
s + Adj(-im/-om) + Noun
s dobrim prijateljem
Negative
ne + s + Adj(-im/-om) + Noun
ne idem s dobrim prijateljem
Question
Ideš li s + Adj(-im/-om) + Noun?
Ideš li s dobrim prijateljem?
Instrument
Adj(-im/-om) + Noun
Pišem crnom olovkom
Plural
s + Adj(-im) + Noun(-ima)
s dobrim ljudima
Pronoun
s + mojim + Noun
s mojim bratom

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Idem s cijenjenim kolegom.

Idem s cijenjenim kolegom. (Social)

Neutral
Idem s dobrim prijateljem.

Idem s dobrim prijateljem. (Social)

Informell
Idem s frendom.

Idem s frendom. (Social)

Umgangssprache
Idem s ekipom.

Idem s ekipom. (Social)

Instrumental Case Map

Instrumental Case

Accompaniment

  • s prijateljem with a friend

Means

  • olovkom with a pen

Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Idem s dobrim prijateljem.

I am going with a good friend.

2

Pijem s dragom mamom.

I am drinking with dear mom.

3

Radim s novim autom.

I am working with a new car.

4

Šećem s malim psom.

I am walking with a small dog.

1

Pišem crvenom olovkom.

I am writing with a red pen.

2

Putujem brzim vlakom.

I am traveling by fast train.

3

Razgovaram s pametnim studentom.

I am talking with a smart student.

4

Sretan sam s novim poslom.

I am happy with the new job.

1

Surađujem s poznatim umjetnicima.

I am collaborating with famous artists.

2

Režem kruh oštrim nožem.

I am cutting bread with a sharp knife.

3

Oduševljen sam ovom lijepom pjesmom.

I am thrilled with this beautiful song.

4

Družim se s dragim ljudima.

I am hanging out with dear people.

1

Upravljam složenim sustavima.

I am managing complex systems.

2

Bavim se zahtjevnim sportom.

I am engaged in a demanding sport.

3

Razgovarali smo o važnim temama.

We talked about important topics.

4

Ponosim se svojim velikim uspjehom.

I am proud of my big success.

1

Služio se tajnim metodama.

He used secret methods.

2

Očarana je prekrasnim krajolikom.

She is enchanted by the beautiful landscape.

3

Suočio se s teškim izazovima.

He faced difficult challenges.

4

Upotrijebio je posebnim alatom.

He used a special tool.

1

Govorio je tihim, smirenim glasom.

He spoke with a quiet, calm voice.

2

Borio se nepravednim sustavom.

He fought against an unjust system.

3

Odisala je nekom posebnom energijom.

She exuded a special energy.

4

Sve je riješio mirnim putem.

He solved everything in a peaceful way.

Leicht verwechselbar

Instrumental Adjective Agreement vs. Genitive vs Instrumental

Both involve case endings.

Häufige Fehler

✗

s dobar prijatelj

✓

s dobrim prijateljem

Adjective must match case.
✗

s lijepa žena

✓

s lijepom ženom

Feminine instrumental needs -om.
✗

s novi auto

✓

s novim autom

Neuter instrumental needs -im.
✗

s moji prijatelji

✓

s mojim prijateljima

Plural instrumental needs -im.
✗

pišem s olovka

✓

pišem olovkom

Instrumental doesn't always need 's'.
✗

putujem s brzi vlak

✓

putujem brzim vlakom

Adjective must be inflected.
✗

s pametna studentica

✓

s pametnom studenticom

Feminine ending mismatch.
✗

s sa prijateljem

✓

s prijateljem

Don't double the preposition.
✗

s dobrim ljudima

✓

s dobrim ljudima

Correct, but ensure noun ending is also correct.
✗

s velikim problemima

✓

s velikim problemima

Ensure plural noun ending is -ima.
✗

s visokim standarde

✓

s visokim standardom

Noun case error.
✗

s novim metodama

✓

s novim metodama

Correct, check gender.
✗

s jakim vjetrovima

✓

s jakim vjetrovima

Correct, ensure noun is plural instrumental.

Satzmuster

Idem s ___ ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Idem s frendom!

Ordering Food very common

Kava s hladnim mlijekom.

Travel common

Putujem brzim vlakom.

Job Interview common

Radim s modernim alatima.

Social Media common

Sretan s novim uspjehom!

Food Delivery Apps common

Pizza s dodatnim sirom.

💡

Check the gender

Always identify the noun's gender first.
⚠️

Don't forget the adjective

The adjective must change too!
🎯

Plural is easy

Plural is always -im.
💬

Coffee culture

Use instrumental for coffee orders.

Smart Tips

Immediately think 'instrumental case'.

Idem s prijatelj. → Idem s prijateljem.

Use instrumental without 's'.

Pišem s olovka. → Pišem olovkom.

Always use -im for adjectives.

S moji prijatelji. → S mojim prijateljima.

Use -om for adjectives.

S lijepa žena. → S lijepom ženom.

Aussprache

sa školom

S vs SA

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

Statement

Idem s prijateljem. ↘

Neutral declarative.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Remember: 'M' for Masculine/Neuter/Plural (-im) and 'O' for feminine (-om).

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a man (M) holding a large 'IM' sign, and a woman (O) holding a large 'OM' sign.

Rhyme

For men and things, use -im to sing; for ladies fair, -om is the air.

Story

I went to the park with my new friend (s novim prijateljem). We sat on a bench and wrote with a blue pen (plavom olovkom). We were happy with our new day (novim danom).

Word Web

ssaprijateljolovkavlakautomknjiga

Herausforderung

Write 3 sentences about what you do with your friends using the instrumental case.

Kulturelle Hinweise

The instrumental case is used heavily in coffee culture, e.g., 'kava s mlijekom'.

Derived from Proto-Slavic instrumental case.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

S kim ideš na kavu?

“

Kojim prijevoznim sredstvom putuješ?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Describe your best friend.

Häufige Fehler

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Idem s ___ (novi) prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: novim
Masculine instrumental is -im.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Pišem ___ (crna) olovkom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: crnom
Feminine instrumental is -om.
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Sretan sam s novi posao.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s novim poslom
Neuter instrumental is -im.
Transform to instrumental. Sentence Transformation

To je dobar prijatelj. (Idem s...)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s dobrim prijateljem.
Correct case and adjective agreement.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: S kim ideš? B: Idem s ___ (moja) sestrom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: mojom
Feminine instrumental is -om.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

s / prijateljima / dobrim / idem

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s dobrim prijateljima.
Correct word order.
Sort by gender. Grammar Sorting

Which takes -om?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Feminine
Feminine singular takes -om.
Match the adjective. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: novim
Masculine instrumental.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Idem s ___ (novi) prijateljem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: novim
Masculine instrumental is -im.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Pišem ___ (crna) olovkom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: crnom
Feminine instrumental is -om.
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Sretan sam s novi posao.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s novim poslom
Neuter instrumental is -im.
Transform to instrumental. Sentence Transformation

To je dobar prijatelj. (Idem s...)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s dobrim prijateljem.
Correct case and adjective agreement.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: S kim ideš? B: Idem s ___ (moja) sestrom.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: mojom
Feminine instrumental is -om.
Build the sentence. Sentence Building

s / prijateljima / dobrim / idem

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem s dobrim prijateljima.
Correct word order.
Sort by gender. Grammar Sorting

Which takes -om?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Feminine
Feminine singular takes -om.
Match the adjective. Match Pairs

Match: novi -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: novim
Masculine instrumental.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

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'.

Yes, for all genders in the instrumental case.

Use -om.

No, that's usually locative or accusative.

Yes, it is standard in all registers.

That's the noun's instrumental ending.

Try describing your daily routine with tools and friends.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

German moderate

mit + Dativ

Croatian uses a specific case ending for the noun and adjective.

French low

avec + noun

Croatian inflects the noun and adjective.

Spanish low

con + noun

Croatian requires case agreement.

Japanese low

noun + de

Croatian uses case endings.

Arabic low

ma'a + noun

Croatian inflects.

Chinese low

gen + noun

Croatian uses inflection.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Instrumental Endings for Nouns (All Genders)
Next
Prepositions Governing Instrumental (s/sa, pod, nad, pred, za)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Adjectives of Origin (e.g., hrvatski)
A1

Using Demonstratives as Adjectives
A1

Declension of Adjectives (All Genders)
A1

Accusative Adjective Agreement
A1

Nominative Case for Adjectives: Agreement with Nouns
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