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Instrumental Case
Instrumental Case
Endings of the instrumental singular are the same for all three genders. For masculine nouns ending
in a consonant add -om, and for neuter ending in -o, and feminine ending in -a replace the last letter
with -om.
The instrumental case is used to translate ‘with’ or ‘by’ denoting the instrument with which an action
is performed: pisati olovkom ‘to write with a pen’; putovati automobilom ‘to travel by car’.
The instrumental case is used after certain prepositions.
S or sa ‘together with’, ‘accompanied by’: On radi sa Jovanom. ‘He works with Jovan’; Volim kafu s
mlekom. ‘I like coffee with milk.’
Za with the instrumental case has the meaning ‘at’; On sedi za stolom. ‘He is sitting at the table.’
The instrument case is used after certain verbs: baviti se ‘to be engaged in, to be active in’. Jovan se
bavi politikom. ‘Jovan is into politics.’
It is used to express some regular, habitual action: Sredom Stiv igra tenis. ‘On Wednesdays Steve plays
tennis.’
It is also used to denote an ‘instrument’ of walking or moving. Idite Knez Mihailovom ulicom. ‘Take
Knez Mihailova Street.’ On šeta gradom. ‘He is walking around the city.’
Practice:
1. Answer the following questions using the word in brackets in the instrumental case:
Ja radim u turističkoj agenciji. Bavim se putovanjima, pa moram često da putujem. Idem u razne
zemlje sveta. Obično putujem avionom i ostajem samo nekoliko dana. Nedavno sam bila u Turskoj.
Vratila sam se pre pet dana. Bilo je lepo, ali kratko.
Vocabulary:
jezero lake
društvo company
priroda nature, countryside
važno important
šuma forest
polje field
kratak short
nedavno not long ago
zemlja country
Svijet world
stati to stop
ostajati to stay
mesto place
razni diferent
AVIONOM by plane
BRODOM by boat
TAKSIJEM by taxi
VOZOM By train
AUTOMOBILOM, kolima By car
Masculine and neuter nouns form the instrumental plural by adding - ima.
At the end of the feminine nouns insert - ama.
masculine/neuter
prijatelj- Idem s prijateljima
autobus-Putujemo autobusima.
feminine
prijateljica
Idem s prijateljicama