krótszym

Krótszym is the instrumental singular form of the Polish adjective krótszy, the comparative form of krótkie/krótki meaning “shorter.” It is used to describe a masculine personal or neuter noun in the instrumental case. In feminine form, the instrumental singular is krótszą, while the instrumental plural is krótszymi.

Morphology and forms

- Masculine/neuter singular instrumental: krótszym

- Feminine singular instrumental: krótszą

- Plural instrumental: krótszymi

Krótszym thus corresponds to the stem krótsz- with the customary instrumental ending -ym for masculine and neuter, while feminine uses -ą.

Etymology

The word derives from the base adjective krótki (short) and the comparative suffix -szy to form krótszy (shorter). The instrumental form krótszym follows standard Polish agreement patterns for adjectives in this degree form.

Usage

Krótszym is used when the noun it modifies is in the instrumental case, often after prepositions that require instrumental, such as z or przy, or in predicative constructions with być. Examples:

- Z krótszym kijem łatwiej się manewruje. (With a shorter stick one handles it more easily.)

- Nowy plan jest krótszym rozwiązaniem niż poprzedni. (The new plan is a shorter solution than the previous one.)

Notes

As with other Polish adjectives, agreement with the noun determines the form: krótszym for masculine/neuter singular instrumental, krótszą for feminine singular instrumental, and krótszymi for plural instrumental.