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The meanings of the Sorbian cases are quite unfamiliar to an English speaker. If you speak Latin or Russian or any other Indo-European language that has preserved the grammatical category of case it will be much easier for you to learn Sorbian, since cases are used quite similarly in all those languages (virtual differences are rather of particular and not of systematic nature).
What cases are all going about is that a word inflected for case has a slightly different form when given a different syntactic function in a sentence.
nan father (subject)
nana father (direct object)
nanej father (indirect object)
etc.
As the syntactic function of a word inflected for case is determined by its mere form, its function doesn't have to depend on its position in a sentence (as it does in English); thus Upper Sorbian sentences have a relatively free word order.
| Case | Questions it answers | Meaning |
| Nominative | who? what? | It is the basic case shown in the dictionary entries. 1. Its main function is marking the subject of a sentence (a word that stands in N is usually the subject of a sentence). 2. When following the copular verbs być to be and stać so to become forms, Nominative is the case of the predicate noun, but it can always be replaced here by the Instrumental with the preposition z. |
| Genitive | whose? (out) of who? (out) of what? | 1. It marks possession (as the English Saxon genitive does). 2. It is the case of direct object in negative sentences. 3. It is the case of nouns following quantifiers (such as half, many, much, little, quarter, some, few, more, less) and some cardinal numerals. 4. After prepositions wot and z it marks the origin or source of a thing (it corresponds to English nouns with the preposition from). 5. It follows obligatorily the prepositions bjez, dla, do, pola, spod, srjedź, the meanings of which are explained in the chapter Prepositions. |
| Dative | to whom? to what? | 1. It is the case of the indirect object of a sentence. 2. It stands obligatorily after the preposition k (see Prepositions). |
| Accusative | whom? what? where to? | 1. It is the case of the direct object in affirmative sentences. 2. Names of the days of the week, when in Accusative, stand for English on Monday, on Tuesday etc. 3. After the preposition po it expresses the the intention of an action and not its place. 4. After the prepositions mjez, na, nad, pod, před, w and za it expresses the direction of an action and not its place. 5. It stands obligatorily after the prepositions pře and přez. |
| Instrumental | with whom? with what? where? | Unlike all the cases mentioned above, it never appears without a preposition. 1. With the preposition z it marks the tool or the mean used to perform an action. 2. With the preposition z when following the verbs być to be and stać so to become, it is the case of the predicate noun, but it can be always replaced by the Nominative. 3. With the prepositions mjez, nad, pod, před and za iy shows the place of an action and not its direction. |
| Locative | where? about whom? about what? | Like the Instrumental, it never appears without a preposition. 1. It stands obligatorily after the preposition při. 2. With the prepositions na, po, w and wo, it shows the place of an action and not its direction or intention. |
| Vocative | --- | Vocative is used when addressing somebody or something. |
The numbers show which of the functions described in the table above the particular case has in the given example.
| a) | Nan | lubuje | syna. |
| father | love | son | |
| subject | predicate verb | direct object | |
| The father loves (his) son. | |||
| b) | Syna | lubuje | nan. |
| son | love | father | |
| direct object | predicate verb | subject | |
| The father loves (his) son. | |||
| c) | Syn | lubuje | nana. |
| son | love | father | |
| direct object | predicate verb | subject | |
| The son loves (his) father. | |||
As we can see from the examples given above, what decides which of the two nouns is the subject of a sentence and which one is the direct object, is not the word order but the case in which the nouns are used.
| a) | Twój | nan | je | wučer. |
| your | father | is | teacher | |
| attribute | subject | copular verb | predicate noun | |
| Your father is a teacher. | ||||
| b) | Tón | wučer | je | mój | nan. |
| this | teacher | is | my | father | |
| demonstrative | subject | copular verb | attribute | predicate noun | |
| This teacher is my father. | |||||
Since both the nouns in the sentences 2a) and 2b) stand in the Nominative, the factor that decides which of them is the subject, is (for Sorbian exceptionally) the word order: the noun that preceedes the verb is usually the subject and the noun that follows the copula verb is the predicative word, but an opposite interpretation is also possible.
| a) | To | je | syn | wučerki |
| this Nom.sing. | is 3.sing.pres. | son Nom.sing.masc. | teacher Gen.sing.fem. | |
| demonstrative | copular verb | predicate noun | possessive attribute | |
| This is the son of the (female) teacher. | ||||
| b) | Zetkał | sym | sotru | susodki |
| meet past.part. | be 1.sing.pres. | sister Acc.sing.fem. | neighbour Gen.sing.fem. | |
| compound verb | direct object | possessive attribute | ||
| I have met the (female) neighbour's sister. | ||||
| a) | Njewidźu | wučerki. | |
| not-see 1.sing.pres. | teacher Gen.sing.fem. | ||
| negation-verb | direct object | ||
| I can't see the (female) teacher. | |||
| b) | Njeznaju | noweje | susodki. | |
| not-know 1.sing.pres. | new Gen.sing.fem. | neighbour Gen.sing.fem. | ||
| negation-verb | attribute | direct object | ||
| I don't know the new (female) neighbour. | ||||
Compare it with an affirmative sentence and its direct object's form - see Accusative 1.
| a) | Woni | wjace | pjenjezy | chcedźa. |
| they Nom.plur.masc. | more | money Gen.plur.masc. | want 3.plur.pres. | |
| subject | quantitative attribute | direct object | verb | |
| They (masc.) want more money. | ||||
| b) | Wone | maja | pjeć | knihow. |
| they Nom.plur.fem. | have 3.plur.pres. | five | book Gen.plur.fem. | |
| subject | verb | quantitative attribute | direct object | |
| They (fem.) have five books. | ||||
| a) | Tu | knihu | sym | dóstał | wot | sotry. |
| this Acc.sing.fem. | book Acc.sing.fem. | be 1.sing.pres. | get past.part. | from | sister Gen.sing.fem. | |
| demonstrative | direct object | compound verb | adverbial | |||
| I got this book from (my) sister. | ||||||
| b) | Wón | je | z | města. |
| he Nom.sing.masc. | is 3.sing.pres. | from | town Gen.sing.neut. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| He is from the town. | ||||
| a) | Ja | bjez | sotry | njepóńdu. |
| I Nom.sing. | without | sister Gen.sing.fem. | not-go 1.sing.fut. | |
| subject | adverbial | negation-verb | ||
| I will not go without (my) sister. | ||||
| b) | Ja | póńdu | do | domu. |
| I Nom.sing. | go 1.sing.fut. | to | house Gen.sing.masc. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| I will go home. | ||||
| a) | Nan | daje | knihu | susodce. |
| father Nom.sing.masc. | give 3.sing.pres. | book Acc.sing.fem. | neighbour Dat.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | direct object | indirect object | |
| The father gives the book to the neighbour. | ||||
| b) | Čehodla | njejsy | powědała | nanej? |
| why | not-be 2.sing.pres. | tell past.part. sing.fem. | father Dat.sing.masc. | |
| interr. | negation-compound verb | indirect object | ||
| Why haven't you told (it) the father? | ||||
| a) | Płuwaše | dale | k | přibrjohej |
| swim 3.sing.past. | further | towards | bank Dat.sing.masc. | |
| verb | adverbial | adverbial | ||
| He/She swam further towards the bank. | ||||
| a) | Widźu | wučerku. | |
| see 1.sing.pres. | teacher Acc.sing.fem. | ||
| verb | direct object | ||
| I see the (female) teacher. | |||
| b) | Znaju | nowu | susodku. | |
| know 1.sing.pres. | new Acc.sing.fem. | neighbour Acc.sing.fem. | ||
| verb | attribute | direct object | ||
| I know the new (female) neighbour. | ||||
| a) | Subotu | wona | póńdźe | do | Budyšina. |
| Saturday Acc.sing.fem. | she Nom.sing.fem. | go 3.sing.fut. | to | Budyšin Gen.sing.masc. | |
| adverbial | subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| On Saturday, she will go to Budyšin. | |||||
| a) | Wón | dźe | po | wodu. |
| He Nom.sing.masc. | go 3.sing.pres. | for | water Acc.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| He is going for water. | ||||
| a) | Wón | dźe | po | wodu. |
| He Nom.sing.masc. | go 3.sing.pres. | for | water Acc.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| He is going for water. | ||||
| a) | Mać | kłobuk | na | hozdźik | pójsny. |
| mother Nom.sing.fem. | hat Acc.sing.masc. | on(to) | nail Acc.sing.fem. | hang 3.sing.past. | |
| subject | direct object | adverbial | verb | ||
| The mother has hanged the hat on(to) the nail. | |||||
Compare the usage of the preposition na with the Locative (see Locative 2a).
| b) | Kniha | je | padnyła | pod | blido. |
| book Nom.sing.fem. | be 3.sing.pres. | fall past.part. fem.sing | under | table Acc.sing.neut. | |
| subject | compound verb | adverbial | |||
| The book fell under the table. | |||||
| c) | Hólc | běžeše | před | dwór. |
| boy Nom.sing.masc. | run 3.sing.past. | in front of | manor Acc.sing.masc. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| The boy was running towards the front of the manor. | ||||
Compare the usage of the prepositions pod and před with the Instrumental (see Instrumental).
| a) | Wona | pře | nana | płaka. |
| she Nom.sing.fem. | because of | father Acc.sing.masc. | cry 3.sing.pres | |
| subject | adverbial | verb | ||
| She cries because of the father. | ||||
| b) | Ja | wjace | přez | łuku | njepóńdu. |
| I Nom.sing | more | across | meadow Acc.sing.fem. | not-go 1.sing.fut. | |
| subject | adverbial | adverbial | negation-verb | ||
| I will not got across the meadow any more. | |||||
| a) | Nan | pisa | list | z | wołojnikom. |
| father Nom.sing.masc. | write 3.sing.pres. | letter Acc.sing.masc. | with | pencil Ins.sing.masc. | |
| subject | verb | direct object | adverbial | ||
| The father writes a letter with a pencil. | |||||
| a) | Wón | je | z | wojakom. |
| he Nom.sing.masc. | is 3.sing.pres. | -- | soldier Ins.sing.masc. | |
| subject | copula verb | -- | predicative noun | |
| He is a soldier. | ||||
| b) | Kniha | leži | pod | blidom. |
| book Nom.sing.fem. | lie 3.sing.pres. | under | table Ins.sing.neut. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| The book lies under the table. | ||||
| c) | Hólc | steji | před | dworom. |
| boy Nom.sing.masc. | stand 3.sing.pres. | in front of | manor Ins.sing.masc. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| The boy is standing in front of the manor. | ||||
Compare the usage of the prepositions pod and před with the Accusative (see Accusative 4b, 4c).
| a) | Muž | sedźi | při | woknje. |
| man Nom.sing.masc. | sit 3.sing.pres. | at | window Loc.sing.masc. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| The man is sitting at the window. | ||||
| b) | Wona | pisa | wo | swojej | wsy. |
| she Nom.sing.fem. | write 3.sing.pres. | about | her Loc.sing.fem. | village Loc.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | |||
| She writes about her village. | |||||
| a) | Wón | dźe | po | wodźe. |
| He Nom.sing.masc. | go 3.sing.pres. | on | water Loc.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| He walks on the water. | ||||
| b) | Kłobuk | wisa | na | hozdźiku. |
| hat Nom.sing.masc. | hang 3.sing.pres. | on | nail Loc.sing.fem. | |
| subject | verb | adverbial | ||
| The hat is hanging on the nail. | ||||
Compare the usage of the prepositions po and na with the Accusative (see Accusative 3a, 4a).
| a) | Nano, | hdźe | sy | był? |
| father Voc.sing.masc. | where | be 2.sing.pres. | be past.part. masc.sing. | |
| addressee | question word | compound verb | ||
| Where have you been, father? | ||||