Instrumental Case (Narzędnik)
Learn the instrumental case to talk about professions, nationalities, and what you do things with.
When to Use the Instrumental Case
Instrumental After Być (To Be)
When describing what someone IS (profession, nationality, identity), Polish uses być + instrumental case. This is the most common use of instrumental for beginners. Think of it as: "Jestem + [instrumental form]."
Common instrumental endings: masculine nouns add -em (student → studentem), feminine nouns change -a to -ą (studentka → studentką), neuter nouns change -o to -em (dziecko → dzieckiem).
Instrumental with Z (with)
The preposition "z" (with) always takes the instrumental case. "Kawa z mlekiem" (coffee with milk), "idę z przyjacielem" (I go with a friend).
This is how you order drinks in Poland: "Poproszę kawę z mlekiem" (I'd like a coffee with milk).
Noun Endings in the Instrumental — Singular
Masculine & Neuter nouns → -em / -iem
Most masculine and neuter nouns add -em. After k or g, add -iem instead.
Rule: consonant + em. After k/g → kiem/giem. Neuter -o → -em (okno → oknem).
Feminine nouns → -ą
Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -ą. Feminine nouns ending in a consonant (like noc, miłość) add -ą too.
Simple rule: feminine -a → -ą. Always.
Adjective Endings in the Instrumental — -ym / -ą / -ymi
Adjective agreement in the Instrumental
Adjectives must match the noun in the instrumental. The endings are: masculine/neuter → -ym (or -im after k/g), feminine → -ą, plural → -ymi (or -imi after k/g).
Summary: Masc/Neuter adj → -ym/-im, Feminine adj → -ą. The adjective ALWAYS goes before the noun in the instrumental.
Instrumental Plural — -ami / -ymi / -imi
Nouns in the Instrumental Plural
The plural instrumental ending for nouns is -ami for almost all genders. Some exceptions: dzieci → dziećmi, ludzie → ludźmi, przyjaciele → przyjaciółmi.
Noun plural: -ami (almost always). Adjective plural: -ymi (or -imi after k/g). Irregulars to memorize: dziećmi, ludźmi, przyjaciółmi.
Instrumental for Transport & Tools — Czym?
How do you travel? — Czym jedziesz?
To say what transport you use, put the vehicle in the instrumental case (no preposition needed). "Jadę" + instrumental.
Masculine vehicles: -em (autobusem, samochodem, rowerem). Feminine vehicles: -ą (taksówką, windą).
With what? — Czym?
Tools and instruments use the instrumental case directly — no preposition.
"Czym jedziesz do pracy?" — "Zwykle jeżdżę autobusem." (What do you take to work? — I usually go by bus.)
Food with "z" — Instrumental in the Kitchen
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
kawa z mlekiem /KAH-vah z MLEH-kyem/ | coffee with milk |
herbata z cukrem /hehr-BAH-tah z TSOO-krem/ | tea with sugar |
herbata z miodem /hehr-BAH-tah z MYOH-dem/ | tea with honey |
chleb z masłem /hlep z MAH-swem/ | bread with butter |
chleb z szynką /hlep z SHIN-kohn/ | bread with ham |
bułka z serem /BOOW-kah z SEH-rem/ | roll with cheese |
kurczak z ziemniakami /KOOR-chahk z zhem-nyah-KAH-mee/ | chicken with potatoes |
kurczak z ryżem /KOOR-chahk z RIH-zhem/ | chicken with rice |
kotlet z frytkami /KOHT-let z FRIT-kah-mee/ | cutlet with fries |
kawa z keczupem /z KEH-choo-pem/ | with ketchup |
z musztardą /z moosh-TAHR-dohn/ | with mustard |
z margaryną /z mahr-gah-RIH-nohn/ | with margarine |
sok z lodem /sohk z LOH-dem/ | juice with ice |
Professions (Nominative → Instrumental)
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
student → studentem / studentką /stoo-DEN-tem / stoo-DENT-kohn/ | student (m/f instrumental) |
lekarz → lekarzem / lekarką /leh-KAH-zhem / leh-KAHR-kohn/ | doctor (m/f instrumental) |
nauczyciel → nauczycielem / nauczycielką /now-chih-CHEH-lem / now-chih-CHEL-kohn/ | teacher (m/f instrumental) |
inżynier → inżynierem / inżynierką /een-zhih-NYEH-rem/ | engineer (m/f instrumental) |
kelner → kelnerem / kelnerką /KEL-neh-rem / kel-NEHR-kohn/ | waiter/waitress (instrumental) |
programista → programistą / programistką /proh-grah-MEES-tohn / proh-grah-MEEST-kohn/ | programmer (m/f instrumental) |
prawnik → prawnikiem / prawniczką /PRAHV-nyee-kyem / prahv-NEECH-kohn/ | lawyer (m/f instrumental) |
aktor → aktorem / aktorką /ahk-TOH-rem / ahk-TOHR-kohn/ | actor/actress (instrumental) |
Nationalities in Instrumental
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
Polak → Polakiem / Polką /poh-LAH-kyem / POHL-kohn/ | Polish person (m/f instrumental) |
Anglik → Anglikiem / Angielką /ahn-GLEE-kyem / ahn-GYEL-kohn/ | English person (m/f instrumental) |
Amerykanin → Amerykaninem / Amerykanką /ah-meh-rih-KAH-nee-nem/ | American (m/f instrumental) |
Niemiec → Niemcem / Niemką /NYEM-tsem / NYEM-kohn/ | German (m/f instrumental) |
Francuz → Francuzem / Francuzką /frahn-TSOO-zem/ | French person (m/f instrumental) |
Hiszpan → Hiszpanem / Hiszpanką /heesh-PAH-nem/ | Spanish person (m/f instrumental) |
Włoch → Włochem / Włoszką /VWOH-hem / VWOSH-kohn/ | Italian (m/f instrumental) |
Japończyk → Japończykiem / Japonką /yah-POHN-chih-kyem/ | Japanese person (m/f instrumental) |
What Do You Do?
Kim jesteś z zawodu?
What do you do for work? (lit. Who are you by profession?)
Jestem inżynierem. A ty?
I am an engineer. And you?
Jestem nauczycielką. Uczę polskiego.
I am a teacher. I teach Polish.
Świetnie! Skąd jesteś?
Great! Where are you from?
Jestem Polką, z Wrocławia. A ty?
I am Polish (woman), from Wrocław. And you?
Jestem Włochem, ale mieszkam w Polsce.
I am Italian, but I live in Poland.
Talking About Identity
Cases — The Heart of Polish Grammar
Polish has 7 grammatical cases, and the instrumental (narzędnik) is often the first one students learn beyond the basic nominative. Don't panic — cases simply change noun endings to show the noun's role in the sentence. English does this with word order; Polish does it with endings. You'll build them up one at a time. The instrumental is the friendliest case to start with because the patterns are very regular.