s / se + Instrumental (Accompaniment)

With as Accompaniment

Level 1

To say you are doing something with someone or something, use the preposition s (or se) followed by the 7th case (the instrumental).

How It Works

This pattern is primarily used for accompaniment or association (e.g., going somewhere with a friend, or having coffee with milk). It is also commonly used to express manner (e.g., s radostí - with joy), features (e.g., dům se zahradou - a house with a garden), and with certain verbs (e.g., mluvit s - to speak with, setkat se s - to meet with).

Common Phrase: A highly frequent and practical phrase is s sebou (with oneself), used when you take something with you (e.g., Mám to s sebou. - I have it with me).

Crucial Rule: Never use s/se for tools or instruments! If you are using an object to perform an action (like writing with a pen or cutting with a knife), you must use the instrumental of means without any preposition.

Pronunciation Note: The preposition s MUST be pronounced as a voiced [z] before paired voiced consonants (b, d, ď, g, h, z, ž) due to voicing assimilation (e.g., s bratrem = [z bratrem]). Before unpaired voiced consonants or sonorants (l, m, n, ň, j, r, v), pronouncing it as an unvoiced [s] is standard and often preferred in careful speech (especially in Bohemia) to avoid confusion with the preposition z/ze (from/out of). Before personal pronouns (e.g., s ním, s námi), the pronunciation is strictly [s].

Examples (5)

  1. Dám si kávu s mlékem.

    I'll have a coffee with milk.

    Word by Word: I will give to myself coffee with milk.

    Shows association (things that go together). 'Mléko' (neuter) becomes 'mlékem' in the instrumental case.

  2. Jdu do kina s bratrem.

    I am going to the cinema with my brother.

    Word by Word: I go into cinema with brother.

    Shows accompaniment (people doing things together). 'Bratr' (masculine) becomes 'bratrem'.

  3. Pojď se mnou!

    Come with me!

    Word by Word: Come with me!

    A highly frequent fixed phrase. 'S' changes to 'se' because 'mnou' starts with a difficult consonant cluster.

  4. Mluvím se sestrou.

    I am speaking with my sister.

    Word by Word: I speak with sister.

    'S' changes to 'se' because 'sestra' starts with an 's'. 'Sestra' (feminine) becomes 'sestrou'.

  5. Bydlím se psem a s kočkou.

    I live with a dog and with a cat.

    Word by Word: I live with dog and with cat.

    Notice the vocalization: 'se psem' (due to the 'ps' cluster) but 's kočkou' (no cluster or sibilant).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 's' to say what tool you are using to do something.

    Píšu s perem.
    Píšu perem.

    In Czech, 's' strictly means 'in the company of'. To say you write 'with a pen' (using it as a tool), use the bare instrumental case without any preposition.

  • Forgetting to change the noun into the instrumental case.

    Jdu tam s kamarád.
    Jdu tam s kamarádem.

    Prepositions in Czech always force the following word into a specific case. After 's/se', you must use the instrumental case endings (like -em or -ou).

  • Forgetting to change 's' to 'se' before certain consonants.

    Jdu s sestrou.
    Jdu se sestrou.

    To make pronunciation easier, 's' changes to 'se' before words starting with sibilants (s, z, š, ž) or difficult consonant clusters.

How It Connects

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s / se + Instrumental (Accompaniment)Level 1With as Accompaniment

Learn This First

To use the preposition 's/se' for accompaniment, learners must first understand the concept of grammatical gender in Czech nouns, as the instrumental case endings vary by gender. A basic grasp of the nominative case is also required to recognize the base forms of the nouns being modified.

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