ojcem

Ojcem is the instrumental singular form of the Polish noun ojciec, meaning "father." In Polish grammar, nouns inflect for case, and the instrumental case is used to express the instrument with which an action is performed or, in certain contexts, accompaniment and related functions.

Morphology and usage. The full declension of ojciec is: Nominative ojciec, Genitive ojca, Dative ojcu, Accusative ojca, Instrumental ojcem, Locative o ojcu, Vocative ojcze. The form ojcem appears in sentences where the noun stands in the instrumental case, for example after prepositions or verbs that require instrumental in Polish. A common usage is to indicate accompaniment with the preposition z, yielding phrases such as z ojcem meaning “with the father.” The instrumental form is also used in other constructions that demand the instrumental case, depending on the syntactic requirements of the sentence.

Etymology. Ojciec derives from a Slavic root shared across languages for “father.” The instrumental form ojcem is a regular development of that root in Polish, aligning with historical patterns of Polish noun inflection. Cognates appear in related languages, such as Russian otets and Ukrainian otets, reflecting a common Proto-Slavic origin.

See also. Ojciec (the base noun meaning "father") and Polish grammar articles on case, number, and declension. This article focuses on the instrumental form ojcem and its role within standard Polish usage.