krátkym

Krátkym is the instrumental singular form of the Czech and Slovak adjective krátký, meaning short or brief. It is used to describe the manner, duration, or extent of an action and appears before masculine nouns in instrumental case or neuter nouns; feminine forms use krótkou. In everyday language, it conveys that something is done in a short or concise way, or that something lasts for a short period.

Usage examples include phrases such as krátkým způsobem (in a short/brief manner), po krátkém čase (after a short time), or krátkým výrazem (with a brief expression). The form also appears in other compound expressions where a briefness or brevity is stressed, in both Czech and Slovak contexts. The distinction between krátkym and other instrumental forms mirrors standard adjective declension in these languages, where masculine and neuter instrumental singular share the ending -ým and feminine uses -ou or -nou depending on the stem.

Etymology traces krátký to the Proto-Slavic root krat- meaning brief or small, with cognates across Slavic languages such as Russian краткий (kratkiy), Polish krótki, and Slovene kratek. The instrumental form krаtýkym / krátkým reflects regular inflection patterns for adjectives of this class in Czech and Slovak, preserving the core meaning of brevity or brevity of duration.

In summary, krátkym is a standard, neutral grammatical form used to express briefness in Czech and Slovak, continuing a common Slavic heritage and functioning as a typical instrumental singular adjective ending.