Tools and Instruments in the Plural
When you do something using multiple tools or objects, you need the Instrumental case. Luckily, the plural is one of the most regular forms in Polish grammar!
Regardless of gender, almost all nouns take the ending -ami.
| We usually eat soup with spoons, and salads with forks. | Zwykle jemy zupę łyżkami, a sałatki widelcami. |
| They are eating this dish with chopsticks. | Oni jedzą to danie pałeczkami. |
Adding Adjectives
When you want to describe those plural objects, the adjectives also need to match in the Instrumental case. Plural adjectives take the ending -ymi (or -imi if the stem ends in k or g).
This adjective ending applies across all genders in the plural.
| My daughters are drawing with colorful crayons. | Moje córki rysują kolorowymi kredkami. |
| The mechanic works with professional tools. | Mechanik pracuje profesjonalnymi narzędziami. |
Accompaniment and Exceptions
The Instrumental case is also used after the preposition z (with) to talk about being accompanied by groups of people. The highly regular -ymi / -imi adjective endings and -ami noun endings still apply.
| Yesterday I talked with young tourists. | Wczoraj rozmawiałem z młodymi turystami. |
There is only one major irregular noun you need to watch out for: ludzie (people). Its Instrumental plural form is ludźmi (not ludziami).
| My brother wants to work with various people. | Mój brat chce pracować z różnymi ludźmi. |
Expressing Interest
As you may remember, the verb interesować się (to be interested in) requires the Instrumental case. You can easily use the new plural endings to talk about broad categories of things you are interested in.
| We are interested in old cars. | Interesujemy się starymi samochodami. |
| He is interested in foreign films. | On interesuje się zagranicznymi filmami. |
