The instrumental is the case Czech learners meet first as "the with/by means of case" — jedu vlakem "I go by train", píšu perem "I write with a pen". But a set of common verbs governs the instrumental for their complement in a way that has nothing to do with instruments. The two that matter most are stát se "to become" and zabývat se "to deal with / be occupied with", both of which force the instrumental onto a noun that English would leave in plain form. He became a doctor is stal se lékařem — lékařem, not the nominative lékař. This page collects the instrumental-governing verbs, with the change-of-role and occupation patterns at the centre.
Becoming and remaining a role: stát se, stávat se, zůstat
The headline pattern: verbs of changing into or remaining in a role or state put that role in the instrumental. stát se / imperfective stávat se "to become" and zůstat / imperfective zůstávat "to remain / stay" are the core members.
Po letech dřiny se stal ředitelem celé firmy.
After years of hard work he became the director of the whole company.
Chce se stát právničkou jako její matka.
She wants to become a lawyer like her mother.
I po rozvodu zůstali dobrými přáteli.
Even after the divorce they remained good friends.
This is the single biggest instrumental-government trap for English speakers, because "become a doctor" has no preposition or marking in English to warn you. The role you turn into — lékařem, právničkou, ředitelem — is instrumental, full stop. The whole predicate instrumental phenomenon springs from this.
být + instrumental: the role reading
The verb být "to be" itself can take an instrumental complement, and the choice between nominative and instrumental after být is a meaningful stylistic and semantic one. The nominative (Je učitel) states a plain identity; the instrumental (Je učitelem) frames the role as something held, often more formal, temporary, or role-emphasising. With professions in everyday speech the nominative is the default, but the instrumental is fully grammatical and standard in more formal or "in the capacity of" readings.
Je učitelem na základní škole.
He is a teacher at a primary school. (instrumental — neutral-to-formal role statement)
Byl dlouholetým členem výboru.
He was a longtime member of the committee. (instrumental, role held over time)
Jsem student.
I'm a student. (everyday nominative — the unmarked everyday choice)
The nominative–instrumental choice after být is subtle; for the full treatment of when each is preferred, see the predicate instrumental and predicate nominative pages. The takeaway for government here: být in its role sense can govern the instrumental, and stát se / zůstat always do.
Occupying oneself: zabývat se, zaobírat se
zabývat se "to deal with / occupy oneself with / work on" governs the instrumental of the field or problem you work on. Its near-synonym zaobírat se "to be preoccupied with" behaves the same way. These are the verbs you reach for to describe what someone studies, researches, or busies themselves with.
Zabývám se historií střední Evropy.
I work on / study the history of Central Europe.
Tím se teď nemůžeme zabývat, máme jiné priority.
We can't deal with that right now, we have other priorities.
Celý život se zaobíral otázkou vědomí.
His whole life he was preoccupied with the question of consciousness.
The thread connecting zabývat se to the "with" sense of the instrumental is genuine: you busy yourself with a topic. That makes this one of the rare instrumental-government verbs where the English "with" actually matches.
Physical movement: hýbat, pohnout, mávat, kývat, házet
A cluster of verbs of moving / shaking / waving govern the instrumental of the body part or object that is moved. Here the instrumental is closer to its core "by means of / by manipulating" sense — you move by means of the thing.
| Verb | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| hýbat / pohnout | to move (something) | Nehýbej tím stolem! | Don't move that table! |
| mávat / zamávat | to wave | Mává rukou. | He's waving his hand. |
| kývat / kývnout | to nod / sway | Kýval hlavou. | He was nodding his head. |
| třást / zatřást | to shake | Třese se zimou. | He's shaking with cold. |
| kroutit / zakroutit | to shake / twist | Kroutí hlavou. | He's shaking his head (in disbelief). |
Děti mávaly rodičům, dokud vlak nezmizel.
The children waved to their parents until the train disappeared.
Jen kroutil hlavou a nemohl tomu uvěřit.
He just shook his head and couldn't believe it.
Note the contrast with házet "to throw": házet kamenem (instrumental) suggests throwing with a stone, flinging it about, while házet kámen (accusative) is the plain "throw a stone." The instrumental of these movement verbs frames the object as the thing manipulated.
Boasting, despising, suffering: chlubit se, pohrdat, trpět
A semantically mixed but high-frequency group rounds out the list. chlubit se "to boast of / show off" governs the instrumental of what you boast about; pohrdat "to despise / scorn" governs the instrumental of what you scorn; and trpět in the sense "to suffer from (an illness)" governs the instrumental of the ailment.
Pořád se chlubí svým novým autem.
He keeps showing off his new car.
Pohrdá penězi, ale rád je utrácí.
He despises money, but he likes spending it.
Trpí nespavostí už několik let.
She's suffered from insomnia for several years.
A caution on trpět: the instrumental is for the illness you suffer from (trpět nespavostí, trpět cukrovkou "suffer from diabetes"). In its other sense, "to endure / put up with (something)," trpět takes an accusative object (trpět bolest "endure pain") — same verb, different government with a different meaning. Keep the medical trpět + instrumental separate.
Common Mistakes
❌ Stal se učitel na gymnáziu.
Incorrect — stát se governs the instrumental; the role must be učitelem, not the nominative učitel.
✅ Stal se učitelem na gymnáziu.
He became a teacher at a grammar school.
❌ Chce se stát právnička.
Incorrect — same trap with a feminine role: become a lawyer is stát se právničkou (instrumental).
✅ Chce se stát právničkou.
She wants to become a lawyer.
❌ Zabývám se historie.
Incorrect — zabývat se governs the instrumental: 'history' is historií, not the nominative historie.
✅ Zabývám se historií.
I work on / study history.
❌ Chlubí se jeho nové auto.
Incorrect — chlubit se governs the instrumental: 'his new car' is svým novým autem.
✅ Chlubí se svým novým autem.
He's showing off his new car.
❌ Trpí nespavost.
Incorrect — 'suffer from' takes the instrumental of the illness: trpí nespavostí.
✅ Trpí nespavostí.
She suffers from insomnia.
Key Takeaways
- Verbs of becoming / remaining a role govern the instrumental: stát se, zůstat
- lékařem, přáteli. This is the biggest trap.
- být can also take the instrumental in its role sense (je učitelem); the everyday default is still the nominative (je učitel).
- zabývat se / zaobírat se "deal with / work on" take the instrumental of the field (zabývám se historií).
- Verbs of moving, waving, nodding, shaking govern the instrumental of the moved object (mává rukou, kroutí hlavou).
- chlubit se (boast of), pohrdat (despise), and trpět (suffer from an illness) all take the instrumental.
- Beware trpět: instrumental = "suffer from (illness)"; accusative = "endure (something)".
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- Verb Government: Which Case Your Verb NeedsA2 — Every Czech verb fixes the case of its object, and that case is a lexical fact you learn with the verb.
- The Instrumental as Predicate (stal se učitelem)B1 — Why professions, roles, and changed states after být and stát se take the instrumental.
- The Instrumental of MeansA2 — Using the instrumental to express the tool or means by which something is done.
- Verbs Governing the GenitiveB2 — A core set of everyday Czech verbs — fear, asking, noticing, reaching, riddance — whose object stands in the genitive, not the accusative English speakers expect.
- Predicate Nominative with BýtA2 — Why the complement of the verb 'to be' usually stands in the nominative, and when the instrumental competes.