dobrým

Dobrým is the instrumental singular form of the Czech adjective dobrý, meaning good. It is used when an adjective modifies a masculine or neuter noun in the instrumental case, and it appears in predicative constructions as part of a compound predicate. The feminine instrumental singular form is dobrou.

In practice, dobrým is most commonly seen with masculine nouns after prepositions that require the instrumental case, such as s (with) or při (during). For example: Setkal jsem se s dobrým člověkem. On je dobrým učitelem. These phrases illustrate how the form agrees with the gender and case of the noun.

The feminine instrumental singular form is dobrou, as in: Ta žena je dobrou ženou. In neuter contexts, the instrumental singular also takes dobrým, as in s dobrým dítětem (with a good child) and similar constructions. Adjectival phrases with dobrý are part of standard Czech grammar and show the language’s agreement system across gender and case.

Etymology traces dobrý to Proto-Slavic roots, with the instrumental form dobrým arising through typical Czech inflection patterns for adjectives. The form is used across Czech to convey quality in a range of syntactic roles, including predicative statements, adjectival modifiers, and set phrases with prepositions requiring the instrumental case.