trpět + Instrumental

Instrumental After Trpět

Level 5

The verb trpět (to suffer) takes a bare noun in the instrumental case (without any preposition) to state that someone is afflicted by a disease, condition, or lack of something.

How It Works

At an advanced level, it is crucial to distinguish trpět + bare instrumental from other valencies of the same verb, as they have distinct meanings:

  • Trpět (intransitive): The most basic use means simply to suffer, without specifying an object. Example: Nechci, aby trpěl (I don't want him to suffer).
  • Trpět + bare instrumental: Means you suffer from a condition (either currently or chronically), experience physical affliction, or suffer from a lack or defect. Examples: Trpí migrénou (She is suffering from a migraine / has chronic migraines), trpět hladem (to suffer from hunger), trpět zimou (to suffer from the cold), trpět bolestí (to suffer from pain), and trpět nedostatkem (to suffer from a lack of something).
  • Trpět na + accusative: Means you are prone or susceptible to recurring bouts of an illness. Example: Trpí na migrény (She is prone to getting migraines). Colloquially, it also means to have a soft spot or weakness for someone or something (e.g., Trpí na blondýny - He has a weakness for blondes). Note that the standard and much more frequent alternative for having a weakness is the reflexive verb potrpět si na + accusative (e.g., Potrpí si na dobré víno - He has a weakness for good wine).
  • Trpět + bare accusative: This valency means to tolerate, endure, or put up with something, including hardships. Examples: trpět nevěru (to tolerate infidelity), trpět špatné chování (to tolerate bad behavior), Tohle nebudu trpět! (I won't tolerate this!), as well as trpět hlad (to endure hunger), trpět zimu (to endure the cold), and trpět bolest (to endure pain). It is extremely common to add a dative pronoun to specify whose behavior is being tolerated (trpět někomu něco), such as Trpí mu všechno (She tolerates everything he does / lets him get away with everything).

For this specific meaning (suffering from a condition), ensure the noun phrase takes standard instrumental endings (like -em, -ou, -mi) without any prepositions like z or od.

Examples (4)

  1. Pacient trpí těžkou cukrovkou.

    The patient suffers from severe diabetes.

    Word by Word: Patient suffers severe diabetes-[instr].

    The feminine noun 'cukrovka' and its adjective take the bare instrumental endings (-ou). No preposition is used.

  2. Tento region dlouhodobě trpí nedostatkem vody.

    This region has long suffered from a lack of water.

    Word by Word: This region long-term suffers lack-[instr] water-[gen].

    Used here to express suffering from a deficiency or deprivation ('nedostatek' becomes 'nedostatkem').

  3. Už několik let trpí nespavostí.

    She has suffered from insomnia for several years.

    Word by Word: Already several years suffers insomnia-[instr].

    The feminine noun 'nespavost' takes the instrumental ending '-í'.

  4. Mnoho lidí v zimě trpí depresemi.

    Many people suffer from depression in winter.

    Word by Word: Many people in winter suffer depressions-[instr].

    The pattern works identically in the plural. 'Depresemi' is the plural instrumental form.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a preposition to translate the English word 'from'.

    Pacient trpí z cukrovky.
    Pacient trpí cukrovkou.

    English speakers frequently try to insert a preposition like 'z' or 'od' to translate 'from'. In Czech, the verb 'trpět' governs the bare instrumental case directly. Adding a preposition is highly unnatural and incorrect.

  • Using the accusative case instead of the instrumental for an illness.

    Trpí nespavost.
    Trpí nespavostí.

    Because English uses a direct object in some contexts, learners often mistakenly use the accusative case for illnesses. While 'trpět + accusative' is correct for experiencing general hardship (like 'trpět hlad' - to suffer hunger), using it for specific medical conditions like insomnia is incorrect. Furthermore, since 'trpět + accusative' frequently means 'to tolerate' or 'to put up with', the incorrect example could confusingly sound like 'He tolerates insomnia' rather than suffering from it.

How It Connects

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trpět + InstrumentalLevel 5Instrumental After Trpět

Learn This First

To learn the pattern 'trpět + instrumentál', a learner must first know how to form the instrumental case for various noun genders. Additionally, they should be familiar with the -ím conjugation class to which 'trpět' belongs and understand the concept of verbal government where a verb requires a specific case (in this case, the instrumental) to express its object (a disease or deficiency).

Words in This Pattern

trpět