9.4 Instrumental Case (Use of зі and із)

9.4 Instrumental Case (Use of зі and із)

In this module, you will learn when Ukrainian tends to substitute the preposition з with its variants зі and із and will practice distinguishing between two common meanings of the preposition з in food phrases.

Завда́ння 1

Look at the pictures and the captions below. Note how the preposition з changes to зі.

Ukranian borscht
борщ зі смета́ною

яє́чня зі шпина́том
two women at a table
розмо́ва зі знайо́мою

When the noun after з begins with c, з, or ш and an additional consonant, the vowel і is added to help break up a cluster of consonants that would otherwise be very hard to pronounce.

Listen to the audio file below and then indicate whether preposition з or its variant зі is used in the sentence.  Then indicate whether the sentence is about food or not.

Завда́ння 2

Choose the best description to caption the images below.

Ціка́во!

Besides зі, preposition з has another variant із. The rules for using it are not as hard and fast as for зі, but it is often used when the preceding word ends with a consonant or a consonant cluster and the word after it begins with a consonant or a consonant cluster.

For example: студе́нт із президе́нтом

Завда́ння 3

Complete the text below by providing the missing prepositions.

Indicate whether the statements below are true (пра́вда) or false (непра́вда).

Завда́ння 4

Look at the pictures and their captions in the Model. Note that the first preposition з/зі/із in each phrase means “out of” (+ Gen.) while the second preposition з/зі/із means “with” (+ Instr.) To distinguish between the two meanings of this preposition in phrases about food, pay attention to the case endings!

barbecue pork and cucumbers
шашли́к зі свини́ни* з овоча́ми
*свини́на = pork
cucumber salad
сала́т з огіркі́в зі смета́ною

For each item below, indicate whether it is made out of the food following the preposition з or served with this food.

Завда́ння 5

Listen to menu items below and indicate whether it is a fairly typical dish or a highly unusual one.

Завда́ння 6

Listen to the questions below and then choose the most appropriate answer from the pull-down menus below. Case endings in the questions and answers will help you make the right choice.

Завда́ння 7

Мо́вний пазл

Look through the activities you have just completed and choose the correct statements below to summarize what you have learned.

А тепе́р тест!

Complete the text below paying careful attention to context and to what you have learned about the use of instrumental case.

Images courtesy of Hannah Donovan, Nillerdk, kalhh, Anastasiya Gepp, Quadic, Brücke-Osteuropa, NathanaelBCRitaE, thephilippena, and Jackie.