Instrumental Singular Endings
Masculine and neuter: -ам / -ом (сябрам, малаком), soft -ем / -ём (Алесем, канём). Feminine: -ай / -ой (мамай, сястрой), soft -яй / -ёй (бабуляй, зямлёй).
How It Works
1. Masculine and neuter nouns (стол, горад, акно, поле):
- Hard stem, stressed ending: -ом — стол → сталом, малако → малаком, нож → нажом.
- Hard stem, unstressed ending: -ам — сябар → сябрам, горад → горадам, настаўнік → настаўнікам, сэрца → сэрцам.
- Soft stem, stressed: -ём — конь → канём, жыццё → жыццём.
- Soft stem, unstressed: -ем — Алесь → Алесем, поле → полем, гатэль → гатэлем.
2. Feminine nouns in -а / -я (мама, сястра, зямля):
- Stressed ending: -ой / -ёй — сястра → сястрой, рука → рукой, зямля → зямлёй, сям'я → сям'ёй.
- Unstressed ending: -ай / -яй — мама → мамай, Ганна → Ганнай, кніга → кнігай, бабуля → бабуляй.
- Longer forms -ою, -аю, -ёю, -яю (сястрою, мамаю) are also correct, especially in poetry and careful speech.
Why stress matters: this is akanye. An unstressed о is written а, and an unstressed ё is written е or я.
Other groups: feminine nouns ending in a consonant take -у / -ю, often with a doubled consonant: ноч → ноччу, соль → соллю (see doubled consonants in the instrumental). Masculine nouns in -а stressed on the stem take -ам: тата → татам (see masculine nouns in -а). For plurals (-амі, -ямі), see plural dative, instrumental and locative.
Examples (6)
- Я размаўляю з сябрам.
I am talking with a friend.
Word by Word: I talk with friend.
сябар: unstressed ending, so -ам.
- Я люблю каву з малаком.
I like coffee with milk.
Word by Word: I love coffee with milk.
малако: stressed ending, so -ом.
- Мы гуляем з Алесем.
We are walking with Ales.
Word by Word: We walk with Ales.
Алесь: soft stem, unstressed, so -ем.
- Я іду ў краму з мамай.
I am going to the shop with Mom.
Word by Word: I go to shop with Mom.
мама: unstressed ending, so -ай.
- Ганна жыве з сястрой.
Hanna lives with her sister.
Word by Word: Hanna lives with sister.
сястра: stressed ending, so -ой.
- Самалёт ляціць над зямлёй.
The plane is flying over the ground.
Word by Word: Plane flies over ground.
зямля: soft stem, stressed, so -ёй.
Common Mistakes
Writing the Russian -ой in an unstressed feminine ending.
Я іду з мамой.Я іду з мамай.In мама the stress is on the first syllable, so the ending is unstressed and written -ай.
Writing -ай in a stressed ending.
Я жыву з сястрай.Я жыву з сястрой.In сястра the stress falls on the ending, so it keeps -ой.
Writing -ом in an unstressed masculine ending.
Я гуляю з сябром.Я гуляю з сябрам.In сябар the stress stays on the stem, so the ending is written -ам.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Instrumental endings follow з + instrumental.
Related Patterns
- Instrumental of Means
Tools and transport take the same endings: ручкай, цягніком.
Level 2 - Akanye: Unstressed о and э Written as а
Akanye explains why unstressed о and ё are written а and е/я.
Level 1 - Instrumental -ццю/-ллюDoubled Consonants in the Instrumental
Covers feminine nouns ending in a consonant: ноччу, соллю.
Level 3 - Plural Dative, Instrumental and Locative
Gives the plural instrumental -амі/-ямі.
Level 3 - Masculine Nouns in -аMasculine Nouns Ending in -а
Masculine nouns like тата take -ам: з татам.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Instrumental Singular Endings in Bubblegum
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