The instrumental is the case of “with” and “by”: the tool you use, the people you’re with, the job you do, the time of year, and the place under, over or behind something. Its endings are among the most regular in Russian.
A1 to C1·17 min read·Audio for every example
Я пишу́ ру́чкой (ya pi-SHU RUCH-kay), “I write with a pen”. The ending -ой alone says “with”: no preposition is needed for a tool.
The short answer
A case is the ending a word takes to show its job in the sentence. The instrumental (твори́тельный паде́ж, tva-REE-tyel’-niy pa-DYEZH) answers кем? чем? “with whom? with what?”. It marks the tool (ру́чкой, with a pen), company after с (с дру́гом, with a friend), roles after стать and рабо́тать, and place after над, под, пе́ред, за and ме́жду. Singular endings are -ом/-ем (masculine, neuter), -ой/-ей or -ью (feminine); the plural is -ами/-ями.
Singular and plural endings
Every Russian noun has a gender (masculine, feminine or neuter), usually visible from its last letter. Nouns ending in -й, -ь, -я or -е are called soft, and swap о for е (or for ё when the ending is stressed). The word in the instrumental is red throughout this page; tap any form to hear it.
Gender
Hard
Soft
Stressed soft
Other
Masculine-ом · -ем
Feminine-ой · -ей · -ью
Neuter-ом · -ем
After ж ш ч щ цspelling rule
The spelling rule. After ж, ш, ч, щ and ц, an unstressed о is written е: муж → му́жем, учи́тельница → учи́тельницей. When the ending is stressed, о stays: нож → ножо́м, оте́ц → отцо́м.
Feminine in -ь. Nouns like тетра́дь and ночь take -ью: тетра́дью, но́чью. Masculine nouns in -ь, like слова́рь, follow the soft masculine column.
Poetic -ою / -ею. In songs and older literature you will see a longer feminine ending: ма́мою, землёю. It means exactly the same as ма́мой.
Plural: -ами / -ями for every gender
The last four (shaded) are the irregular -ьми plurals. Two are everyday words: с детьми́ (with the children), с людьми́ (with people).
Adjectives and pronouns
An adjective (a describing word) takes the same case as its noun: -ым / -им for masculine and neuter, -ой / -ей for feminine, -ыми / -ими for the plural.
Word
Masc. · neut.
Fem.
Plural
но́выйnew
си́нийdark blue
хоро́шийgood
большо́йbig
мойmy
нашour
э́тотthis
весьall
Personal pronouns, after с
After a preposition, им, ей and и́ми add н-: с ним, с ней, с ни́ми. And с becomes со before мной: со мной, “with me”.
The tool or means: “with” without a preposition
When “with” means using, Russian puts the tool in the instrumental and adds nothing else. This is where the case gets its name: the instrument. The same goes for the means by which something is sent or done.
с: together with
When “with” means in company with, use the preposition с (s; said z before a voiced consonant like б or д). It also joins foods and drinks, and follows verbs of doing something together: meeting, talking, arguing, getting to know.
Tool · no prepositionЯ ем ло́жкой.ya yem LOZH-kayI eat with a spoon (I use it).
Company · сЯ ем с дру́гом.ya yem z DRU-gamI eat with a friend (we eat together).
Jobs, roles and what you become
After verbs of being, becoming and working, the role goes into the instrumental: рабо́тать (to work as), стать (to become), быть (to be, in the past and future), счита́ться (to be considered), каза́ться (to seem). In the present, Russian has no “is”, so the role stays in the nominative.
Verbs that take the instrumental
These verbs put their object (the thing the action is about) in the instrumental instead of the accusative. Most are about activities, interests, use and control. занима́ться and интересова́ться are the two you will use most.
Verb
Meaning
Example
занима́тьсяza-ni-MAT-sa
to do, study, go in for
интересова́тьсяin-ti-ri-sa-VAT-sa
to be interested in
увлека́тьсяuv-li-KAT-sa
to be keen on
горди́тьсяgar-DEET-sa
to be proud of
по́льзоватьсяPOL’-za-va-tsa
to use
боле́тьba-LYET’
to be ill (with)
руководи́тьru-ka-va-DEET’
to manage, lead
владе́тьvla-DYET’
to own; to master
явля́тьсяyiv-LYAT-sa
to be (formal, written)
Times of day and seasons
“In the morning”, “in summer” and the like are simply the instrumental of the noun, with no preposition. They are used so often that dictionaries list them as separate words (adverbs, words that describe when or how).
Times of day
Seasons
Where something is: над, под, пе́ред, за, ме́жду
Five prepositions (small words placed before a noun) describe position and take the instrumental. ря́дом с, “next to”, joins them through с.
The red ball is where something is; the blue box is the noun in the instrumental. Behind (за), the ball is partly hidden.
Being there or going there. под and за take the instrumental for where something is, and the accusative for where it is going: Кот спит под столо́м (the cat sleeps under the table) but Кот зале́з под стол (the cat crawled under the table). за + instrumental can also mean “to fetch”: Я иду́ за хле́бом, “I’m going to get bread”.
Manner, route and the passive “by”
Three uses from B2 upwards. The instrumental can describe how something is done, which way you went, and, in a passive sentence (where the thing affected comes first, as in “was written by”), who did it.
Check yourself
Put the word in brackets into the instrumental. Say the answer out loud, then reveal it.
1Я пишу́ (каранда́ш).I write with a pencil.
2Мы гуля́ли с (соба́ка).We went for a walk with the dog.
3Он хо́чет стать (врач).He wants to become a doctor.
4Она́ занима́ется (му́зыка).She studies music.
5Чай с (лимо́н), пожа́луйста.Tea with lemon, please.
6Кни́га лежи́т под (крова́ть).The book is under the bed.
7(Зима́) здесь о́чень хо́лодно.It’s very cold here in winter.