The Preposition "z" (with)
To express doing something together with someone, use the preposition z (with). Just like when stating someone's profession, the noun that follows this preposition must take the Instrumental case.
| with | z |
Nouns Ending in a Consonant
Masculine nouns ending in a regular consonant add -em in the Instrumental case. Note that mąż (husband) has a small vowel change in its root, becoming mężem.
| I am eating breakfast with my husband. | Jem śniadanie z mężem. |
| She often talks with her husband. | Ona często rozmawia z mężem. |
Nouns Ending in -a
For nouns ending in -a, the final -a changes to -ą. This applies to most female family members, such as żona (wife), matka (mother), and córka (daughter).
| He is drinking hot coffee with his wife. | On pije gorącą kawę z żoną. |
| This waitress is talking with her mother in the cafe. | Ta kelnerka rozmawia z matką w kawiarni. |
| I am watching a new film with my daughter. | Oglądam nowy film z córką. |
This rule also applies to masculine nouns that end in -a. For example, kolega (a male friend or colleague) takes the -ą ending because of its final letter.
| Tonight I am meeting with a friend. | Dzisiaj wieczorem spotykam się z kolegą. |
Nouns Ending in -k or -g
If a masculine noun ends in -k or -g, it takes -iem instead of -em. Watch out for dziadek (grandfather)—the final "e" drops out when adding the ending, becoming dziadkiem.
| The boy is watching an old movie with his grandfather. | Chłopiec ogląda stary film z dziadkiem. |
