| Nom. | Acc. | Dat. | Acc. | Inst. | Prep. |
| The instrumental case, творительный падеж, is the fifth of the six cases in Russian. It answers the following questions: кем? and чем? |
| It serves the purpose of indicating the instrument that is used to carry out an action. |
Despite that there are many other uses for this case, some of which aren’t very logical.
The instrumental case is used…
| to indicate a means of transport taken by either a person or a thing |
| Я обычно путешествую поездом. I often travel by train. |
| Мы поехали туда автобусом. We went there by bus. |
| Она отправила подарок почтой. She sent the gift by post. |
| Although it’s grammatically correct to say the first two sentences in the box above, Russian speakers prefer the на + prep. construction, thus я обычно путешествую на поезде and мы поехали туда на автобусе would be preferred. |
| to indicate a type of instrument used to perform an action |
| Мы видим глазами. We see with our eyes. |
| Она пишет карандашом. She writes with a pencil. |
| Врач лечит пациенту лекарством. The doctor treats the patient with medicine. |
| after certain verbs: быть (to become), становиться-стать (to become), заниматься-заняться (to do, to occupy oneself), являться (to be), оказываться-оказаться (to turn out), etc. |
| Он был плохим студентом. He was a bad student. |
| Коля хочет стать журналистом. Kolya wants to become a journalist. |
| Чем ты занимаешься? What are you doing? |
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| with time elements: весной (in spring), летом (in summer), осенью (in fall), зимой (in winter), утром (in the morning), днём (in the day/afternoon), вечером (in the evening), ночью (at night), etc. |
| Весной всё в цвету. In spring everything is in bloom. |
| Завтра утром у меня приём к врачу. Tomorrow morning, I have a doctor’s appointment. |
| Летом бывает очень жарко. In summer it’s very hot. |
| after certain prepositions: с(о) (with), между (between), перед (in front of; before), за (behind), etc. |
| Ты хочешь танцевать со мной? Do you want to dance with me? |
| Они ждут тебя перед гостиницей. They’re waiting for you in front of the hotel. |
| Он стоял за девушкой. He was standing behind a girl. |
| For a complete list [with in-context usage] of prepositions requiring the instrumental case, click here. |
| with certain nouns accompanied by the preposition с to create adverb-like constructions |
| Я с нетерпением жду ответов. I eagerly/impatiently await responses. |
| Я с удовольствием помогу вам. I will gladly help you. |
| Всё было решено с большим трудом. Everything was decided with great difficulty. |
And well, there it is – a rough summarization of the instrumental case’s uses. Eventually there will be quizzes to test your knowledge on this case and on many others. Hopefully – if all goes according to plan – they will be on this blog soon.
| Last Edited: 11/23/2025. |
My Slavic Studies 