Breakdown of Наряду с сывороткой, они используют новую формулу.
они
they
новый
new
использовать
to use (+ accusative)
наряду с
along with
Questions & Answers about Наряду с сывороткой, они используют новую формулу.
Why is сывороткой in the instrumental case here?
It is governed by the compound preposition наряду с (along with / alongside). Just like the simple preposition с (with), наряду с always requires the instrumental case for the noun that follows it. Here, the nominative feminine noun сыворотка takes the instrumental ending -ой to become сывороткой.
Could we use помимо instead of наряду с in this sentence?
Yes, but the grammar and nuance would change. помимо requires the genitive case, so you would say Помимо сыворотки. While both express inclusion, помимо translates closer to 'besides' or 'apart from' (simply adding to a list), whereas наряду с emphasizes that the two things are functioning equally alongside each other.
Is the comma after сывороткой mandatory?
Yes, usually. In Russian punctuation, introductory phrases starting with prepositions of inclusion or exclusion (like наряду с, помимо, кроме) are almost always set off by commas, especially when they appear at the beginning of the sentence before the main subject.
Is используют an imperfective or perfective verb here?