Svetlana Flemming - Colloquial Russian - The Next Step in Language Learning

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2 How had the writer heard about the attempted coup?

8

3 What reasons for the coup are suggested?

9

4 Was it clear which side the army was on?

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5 Where did the crowds congregate?

1

6 Who addressed them and from where?

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Instrumental case

Uses of the instrumental case

1 The instrumental case is used to translate ‘by’ or ‘with’ referring to the instrument with which an action is performed: pisa´t; karandawo´m ‘to write with a pencil’; okru'a´t; tańkami ‘to encircle with tanks’. Note its use after certain verbs indicating movement of parts of the body: maxa´t; ruko´j ‘to wave (with) one’s hand’; kiva´t; / kivnu´t; golovo´j ‘to shake one’s head’; po'ima´t; pleha´mi ‘to shrug one’s shoulders’. There is further information on how the instrumental is used to translate ‘by’ in Unit 10.

2 It is also used after certain prepositions:

za

behind, beyond, for (to fetch)

me´'du

between

nad

over

peŕed

in front of, before

pod

under (place)

s

with (accompanied by)

There is more information on the uses of za in Unit 8 and on s in Units 5 and 6.

3 The instrumental is frequently used as the complement of byt;

‘to be’ when this verb is in the past or future tense or the infinitive: On xoteĺ byt; prezideńtom ‘He wanted to be president’.

4 The instrumental case is used after several verbs:

zanima´t;sq / zanq´t;sq

to be engaged in, occupied with

interesova´t;sq (za-)

to be interested in

okaźyvat;sq / okaza´t;sq

to turn out to be

ostava´t;sq / osta´t;sq

to remain as

poĺ;zovat;sq (vos-)

to use, enjoy

stanovi´t;sq / stat;

to become

uvleka´t;sq / uvle´h;sq

to be keen on

upravlq´t;

control, manage, govern

qvlq´t;sq

to seem, be

There is information on these and other verbs with the instrumental in Unit 6.

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5 The instrumental occurs in certain adverbial expressions of time: 2

u´trom in the morning

dne¨m in the daytime

3

ve´herom in the evening

no´h;[ at night

4

vesno´j in spring

le´tom in summer

5

ośen;[ in autumn

zimo´j in winter

6

ceĺymi dnq´mi for days on end

7

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and in some expressions of manner:

9

we¨potom in a whisper

bego´m at a run

10

1

Note also the phrases taki´m o´brazom ‘in that way, thus’; and 2

drugi´mi slova´mi ‘in other words’.

3

6 The instrumental is also used in defining dimensions:

4

5

vysoto´j in height

dlino´j in length

6

rośtom tall

wirino´j in width

7

reka´ wirino´j v deśqt; me´trov

8

a river ten metres wide

9

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Endings in the instrumental case

2

3

Nouns

4

5

6

Masculine

Feminine

7

Singular

Plural

Singular

Plural

8

9

prezideńtom

prezideńtami

gaze´toj

gaze´tami

30

1

tramvaém

tramva´qmi

nedeĺej

nedeĺqmi

2

roqĺem

roqĺqmi

revol[

ćiej

revol[

ćiqmi

3

kremle¨m

kremlq´mi

vozmo´'nost;[

vozmo´'nostqmi

4

Neuter

5

6

Singular

Plural

7

8

vino´m

vińami

9

zdańiem

zdańiqmi

40

1

vre´menem

vremena´mi

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Russia and the Russian language

Notes:

1 Do not forget the possible impact of the spelling rule: vrah –

vraho´m ‘doctor’; tovaŕi] – tovaŕi]em ‘comrade’; gostińica

– gostińicej ‘hotel’.

2 If the ending is stressed, -em and -ej are replaced by -e¨m or

-e¨j: zemlq´ – zemle¨j ‘earth’.

3 The instrumental of masculine surnames ending in -ov, -e¨v, -in,

-yn is ym: El;cin – El;cinym. Otherwise they decline like nouns. For the complete declension, including feminine and plural surnames, see the tables at the back of the book .

Adjectives and pronouns

Masculine and Neuter

Feminine

Plural

intereśnym

intereśnoj

intereśnymi

dre´vnim

dre´vnej

dre´vnimi

moi´m

moe´j

moi´mi

tvoi´m

tvoe´j

tvoi´mi

na´wim

na´wej

na´wimi

va´wim