The Instrumental: With Milk, With Friends
Your café order — кофе с молоком — was grammar all along. The instrumental is the case of with: with what, with whom, and (surprisingly) as what and when.
с + Instrumental
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine / neuter | -ом / -ем | молоко → с молоком |
| feminine | -ой / -ей | мама → с мамой |
чай с лимоном, кофе с молоком, хлеб с сыром
tea with lemon, coffee with milk, bread with cheese
Note: The entire café menu, correctly declined.
The opposite — без (without) — takes the genitive: кофе без сахара. With = instrumental, without = genitive.
With People Too
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| с другом | with a friend |
| с мамой | with mom |
| с Анной | with Anna |
| С кем ты? | Who are you with? (кем = instrumental of кто) |
Я иду в кино с другом.
I'm going to the cinema with a friend.
заниматься
The activity verb takes a bare instrumental — no preposition:
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| заниматься спортом | to do sports |
| заниматься йогой | to do yoga |
| заниматься русским | to work on your Russian |
You Already Speak It
С кем ты занимаешься русским?
Who do you study Russian with?
С Анной. Обычно вечером, с чаем.
With Anna. Usually in the evening, with tea.
Common Mistakes
- с + wrong case. С молока means "off the milk" — with is с + instrumental: с молоком.
- заниматься с спортом. No с here — the verb takes the instrumental directly: заниматься спортом.
- Missing the -ой. С мама → с мамой. Feminine -а becomes -ой.
What You Can Do Now
You can say who you spend time with, what you take in your tea, and what you practice — plus you've decoded a dozen words (зимой, вечером…) you've been using since Chapter 2.