Nominative or Instrumental After byť

Level 6

Otec je lekár. (Father is a doctor.) Desať rokov bol riaditeľom školy. (For ten years he was head of the school.) Both the nominative and the instrumental can follow byť.

How It Works

Two cases after byť. A noun that says what the subject is can stand in the nominative or in the instrumental:

  • Brat je lekár.: a plain statement of what he is.
  • Brat je lekárom v nemocnici v Žiline.: the job as a role or function he holds.

When the nominative is usual. In the present tense in everyday speech, the nominative is the neutral choice for professions, nationalities and permanent classifications: Otec je lekár. Mária je Slovenka. Dunaj je rieka. After to je and to sú, which identify something, only the nominative is used: To je môj brat.

When the instrumental is usual. The instrumental stresses a role, a function or a state limited in time, and it adds emphasis. It is common:

  • with the past and future: Desať rokov bol riaditeľom školy. Na stretnutí budem vaším tlmočníkom.
  • after the infinitive: Chcem byť pilotom. (The nominative Chcem byť pilot also occurs in speech.)
  • in formal and written style: Bratislava je hlavným mestom Slovenska.

Verbs that always take the instrumental. Stať sa (to become) always takes the instrumental: Stal sa lekárom. Do not use the nominative for the role after it. In the other pattern, Z Petra sa stal lekár, the new role is the subject, so it is in the nominative.

Adjectives stay nominative. A predicate adjective is normally in the nominative, in every tense: Bol unavený. Budeš spokojná.

Examples (6)

  1. Otec je lekár a mama je učiteľka.

    Father is a doctor and Mum is a teacher.

    Word by Word: Father is doctor and mum is teacher.

    Neutral present-tense classification: nominative.

  2. Desať rokov bol riaditeľom školy.

    For ten years he was head of the school.

    Word by Word: Ten years he-was director(instr) of-school.

    A role held for a limited time: instrumental.

  3. Keď vyrastiem, chcem byť pilotom.

    When I grow up, I want to be a pilot.

    Word by Word: When I-grow-up, I-want to-be pilot(instr).

  4. Na dnešnom stretnutí budem vaším tlmočníkom.

    At today's meeting I will be your interpreter.

    Word by Word: At today's meeting I-will-be your(instr) interpreter(instr).

    A temporary function in the future: instrumental.

  5. Bratislava je hlavným mestom Slovenska.

    Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia.

    Word by Word: Bratislava is main(instr) city(instr) of-Slovakia.

    The instrumental presents the city's function; it is typical of written and formal style.

  6. To je môj brat, je kuchár.

    That's my brother, he's a cook.

    Word by Word: That is my brother, he-is cook.

    After to je only the nominative is possible.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the instrumental after to je, which identifies someone.

    To je mojím bratom.
    To je môj brat.

    To je and to sú point something out and name it, so they take the nominative only.

  • Using the nominative after stať sa.

    Po štúdiu sa stal lekár.
    Po štúdiu sa stal lekárom.

    Stať sa (to become) takes the instrumental for the new role: lekárom. Unlike byť, it gives no choice between the two cases here.

  • Putting the noun after byť in the accusative.

    Môj otec je lekára.
    Môj otec je lekár.

    Byť never takes an object in the accusative. The noun is in the nominative (or the instrumental for a role): lekár or lekárom.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Nominative or Instrumental After byťLevel 6

Learn This First

Before Nominative or Instrumental After byť, learn Becoming Something and Present Tense of byť. The instrumental after byť builds on stať sa + instrumental. The entry concerns byť.

Words in This Pattern