mes su + instrumental
We with Su: Me and Someone
Mes su broliu nuėjome į kiną. = My brother and I went to the cinema. On this reading, two people are included and the verb is first person plural.
How It Works
How it works. Mes su broliu can mean two people: me and my brother. The verb is in the mes form, because "we" are the subject: Mes su broliu nuėjome į kiną. (My brother and I went to the cinema.) You don't need mano. The relationship is normally understood from context.
The partner is in the instrumental. After su use the instrumental case:
- mes su žmona (my wife and I)
- mes su draugais (my friends and I)
- mes su tavimi (you and I)
- mes su ja (she and I)
Mes can drop. The verb ending already says "we": Su draugu važiuosime prie jūros. (My friend and I will go to the seaside.)
It works with jūs too. Jūs su Rūta means "you and Rūta", and the verb is in the jūs form: Ar jūs su Rūta dirbate kartu? (Do you and Rūta work together?)
Compare aš su. With aš and a singular verb, the speaker is the grammatical subject: Aš su broliu nuėjau į kiną. (I went to the cinema with my brother.) Here the focus is on me. The dual pronoun mudu su broliu means the same as mes su broliu.
Examples (6)
- Mes su broliu nuėjome į kiną.
My brother and I went to the cinema.
Word by Word: We with brother went to cinema.
- Mes su žmona gyvename Kaune.
My wife and I live in Kaunas.
- Su draugu važiuosime prie jūros.
My friend and I will go to the seaside.
The verb ending -sime already means "we", so mes is left out.
- Mes su tavimi dar pasikalbėsime.
You and I will talk about it later.
Word by Word: We with you still will-talk.
- Ar jūs su Rūta dirbate kartu?
Do you and Rūta work together?
- Aš su broliu nuėjau į kiną.
I went to the cinema with my brother.
Aš is the grammatical subject; su broliu says who accompanied the speaker.
Common Mistakes
Using a singular verb after mes su.
Mes su broliu nuėjau į kiną.Mes su broliu nuėjome į kiną.The subject is mes, so the verb must be in the we form: nuėjome.
Leaving the partner in the nominative.
Mes su brolis gyvename Vilniuje.Mes su broliu gyvename Vilniuje.Su always takes the instrumental: broliu, seserimi, draugais.
Using the wrong pronoun form after su.
Mes su ji einame į parduotuvę.Mes su ja einame į parduotuvę.After su, ji becomes ja, jis becomes juo and tu becomes tavimi.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Mes su includes the speaker and another participant, with a first-person plural verb.
Related Patterns
- Personal Pronoun Case Forms
Pronouns after su are in the instrumental: tavimi, juo, ja.
Level 2 - aš, tu, jis, ji, mes, jūs, jie, josPersonal Pronouns
Mes and jūs set the verb ending in this pattern.
Level 1 - Dual: mudu, mudviThe Dual: Mudu and Mudvi (Recognition)
Mudu su broliu is the old dual version of mes su broliu.
Level 6 - abu / abiBoth
Abu and abi (both) also talk about two people together.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice mes su + instrumental in Bubblegum
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