The Instrumental Case (Narzędnik) is the fifth grammatical case in the Polish language.
This case expresses the means by which an action is performed.
Examples
Jadę pociągiem.- I'm going by train.
Idę z dziewczyną do kina.- I'm going to the cinema with my girlfriend.
Mieszam herbatę łyżką.- I'm mixing the tea with a spoon.
Often when there is a "with" or a "by" in an English sentence, it is translated into Polish using the Instrumental Case.
Interrogative words
Each case has its own interrogative words that it answers. The Instrumental Case answers (z) kim? and (z) czym?.
(z) kim?- refers to people.
(z) czym?- refers to things, animals, and abstractions.
The interrogative words of a case can be used to form questions about that part of the sentence. The following examples illustrate this concept.
Examples
(z) kim?
Spotkałem się z moją dziewczyną w parku.- I met my girlfriend in the park.
Z kim się spotkałem w parku?- With whom did I meet in the park?
(z) czym?
Mieszam herbatę łyżką.- I am mixing the tea with a spoon.
Czym mieszam herbatę?- With what am I mixing the tea?
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