Orodnik: the “with what” case and why it always carries z or s
The 'with what' form almost never goes without a preposition. English cuts bread 'with a knife'; Slovenian says režem z nožem, merim z metrom, pišem s svinčnikom. For example: “Kruh je narezal z ostrim nožem” — He cut the bread with a sharp knife. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The 'with what' form almost never goes without a preposition. English cuts bread 'with a knife'; Slovenian says režem z nožem, merim z metrom, pišem s svinčnikom.
S stands before a voiceless consonant, z before everything else and before vowels: s prijateljem, but z bratom.
The endings are short. Masculine and neuter take -om: z nožem, z avtom. Feminine takes -o: z roko, z vodo. In the plural, -i and -ami: z noži, z rokami. About two, -oma: z rokama, z bratoma.
The same form follows pred, nad, pod, med: pred hišo, nad mizo, med sosedoma. A feminine word ending in a consonant takes -jo: z močjo, s plastjo.
Table
| gender and number | ending | example | the English |
|---|---|---|---|
| m. sg. | -om / -em | z nožem | with a knife |
| f. sg. | -o | z vodo | with water |
| f. on a consonant | -jo | z močjo | with force |
| n. sg. | -om | z oknom | with a window |
| dual | -oma / -ama | z rokama | with two hands |
| pl. m. | -i | z noži | with knives |
| pl. f. | -ami | z rokami | with hands |
| preposition before voiceless | s | s prijateljem | with a friend |
By example
- Kruh je narezal z ostrim nožemHe cut the bread with a sharp knife
- Miza je bila pokrita s plastjo prahuThe table was covered with a layer of dust
- Z bratoma sva se pogovorila pred hišoI talked with the two brothers in front of the house
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Orodnik: how does it work in Slovenian?
The 'with what' form almost never goes without a preposition. English cuts bread 'with a knife'; Slovenian says režem z nožem, merim z metrom, pišem s svinčnikom.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Kruh je narezal z ostrim nožem” — He cut the bread with a sharp knife. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.