Kettle - czajnik, masuline noun

Czajnik

Case                      singular                plural

Nominative            czajnik              czajniki

Genitive                czajnika            czajników

Dative                   czajnikowi       czajnikom

Accusative            czajnik               czajniki

Instrumental          czajnikiem        czajnikami

Locative                czajniku           czajnikach  

The declension follows the pattern for masculine inanimate nouns, but note that some such nouns, like czajnik, end with u and some with e in the locative case.

Apparently czajnik can also mean teapot as well as kettle, but czajniczek - the diminutive form of czajnik - just means teapot?  According to a friend: czajnik is the kettle and imbryk is when you add the tea, so teapot, but because so few people use teapots these days, most people call both czajnik.

After all that: 

I need tea.  I'm putting the kettle on.

Potrzebuję herbaty.  Włączam czajnik.

Here czajnik is the thing being switched on, so the direct object of the verb in the sentence, therefore is in the accusative case.  Just to cause confusion, for czajnik, the accusative case has the same spelling as the nominative case.  Remember the nominative case is the case for words you find in the dictionary.

Note: herbaty is not in the accusative case, even though it is the direct object of the verb in the sentence.  For verbs that express the absence of something, including searching for something (szukać) and needing something (potrzebować) the direct object is in the genitive case, which for tea (herbata) is herbaty.

I'm not getting that tea anytime soon am I?  But when you start something... 

So, using the other cases.

The locative case is pretty much self explanatory.  When location is stated.  Where is the tea?  The tea is in the kettle-teapot-thing.

Herbata jest w czajniku.

The instrumental case, as with most cases, has many uses, but relating to a kettle, I'd say we'd come across it when we use the preposition z to say something is with the kettle.  Where did you pack the tea?  

Herbata jest z czajnikiem.

The instrumental case is very useful when stating nationality or identity, like:  Jestem Anglikiem - I'm an Englishman, but unless we're doing a rendition of "I'm a little Teapot", I can't see how I'd use it that way here.

The dative case, czajnikowi... not yet sure when I'd use that with kettle.  Any suggestions?  Please comment.

The vocative case, I have not included, because I'm not in the habit of talking to my kettle.

Now, kettle, where the heck are you...