Module 03 · Cases · Locījumi · Level A1
Instrumental (ar ko?) — with whom, with what
Instrumentālis. Ar ko?
The instrumental is the simplest case: it has no endings of its own — it always appears with the preposition ar and borrows the accusative form in the singular and the dative form in the plural.
| Word (Nom.) | Singular (= Acc.) | Plural (= Dat.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | galds | ar galdu | ar galdiem |
| 2 | brālis | ar brāli | ar brāļiem |
| 4 | māja | ar māju | ar mājām |
| 5 | upe | ar upi | ar upēm |
| 6 | sirds | ar sirdi | ar sirdīm |
Pronouns: ar mani, ar tevi, ar viņu, ar mums, ar jums, ar viņiem / viņām (with me, with you, with him/her, with us, with you-pl., with them).
Three meanings of ar
- Accompaniment — with whom: Es eju ar draugu (I'm going with a friend). Dzīvoju ar ģimeni (I live with my family).
- Instrument / means — with what: rakstu ar pildspalvu (I write with a pen), braucu ar autobusu (I go by bus), ēdu ar karoti (I eat with a spoon).
- A feature / attribute — with what: kafija ar pienu (coffee with milk), māja ar dārzu (a house with a garden), cilvēks ar humoru (a person with a sense of humor).
Verbs that require ar
lepoties ar (to be proud of), iepazīties ar (to get acquainted with), nodarboties ar (to be engaged in), sarunāties ar (to converse with), precēties ar (to marry), dalīties ar (to share with), tikties ar (to meet with), apmierināts ar (satisfied with).
Without a preposition
An instrumental-like form without ar shows up in set time expressions: vienu dienu (one day, once), katru reizi (every time) — but these are really accusatives in form and meaning.
Exercise
1) I'm traveling by train. 2) I'm getting acquainted with my colleagues. 3) Tea with lemon. 4) She's proud of her son.
Answers
1) Es braucu ar vilcienu. 2) Es iepazīstos ar kolēģiem. 3) Tēja ar citronu. 4) Viņa lepojas ar dēlu.Open the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 03