diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 8c7cdeb..0626bc3 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -397,9 +397,15 @@ checksum = "3e2e65a1a2e43cfcb47a895c4c8b10d1f4a61097f9f254f183aee60cad9c651d"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "memchr"
-version = "2.2.1"
+version = "2.4.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "88579771288728879b57485cc7d6b07d648c9f0141eb955f8ab7f9d45394468e"
+checksum = "308cc39be01b73d0d18f82a0e7b2a3df85245f84af96fdddc5d202d27e47b86a"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "minimal-lexical"
+version = "0.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "68354c5c6bd36d73ff3feceb05efa59b6acb7626617f4962be322a825e61f79a"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "miniz-sys"
@@ -462,6 +468,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "version_check 0.1.5",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "nom"
+version = "7.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1b1d11e1ef389c76fe5b81bcaf2ea32cf88b62bc494e19f493d0b30e7a930109"
+dependencies = [
+ "memchr",
+ "minimal-lexical",
+ "version_check 0.9.3",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "num"
 version = "0.1.42"
@@ -919,6 +936,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ena",
  "failure",
  "itertools",
+ "nom 7.1.0",
  "peg",
  "pretty_assertions",
  "radix_trie",
@@ -1068,7 +1086,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8e51065bafd2abe106b6036483b69d1741f4a1ec56ce8a2378de341637de689e"
 dependencies = [
  "fnv",
- "nom",
+ "nom 4.2.3",
  "phf",
  "phf_codegen",
 ]
diff --git a/schala-lang/Cargo.toml b/schala-lang/Cargo.toml
index 7985d46..943d586 100644
--- a/schala-lang/Cargo.toml
+++ b/schala-lang/Cargo.toml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ radix_trie = "0.1.5"
 assert_matches = "1.5"
 #peg = "0.7.0"
 peg = { git = "https://github.com/kevinmehall/rust-peg", rev = "960222580c8da25b17d32c2aae6f52f902728b62" }
+nom = "7.1.0"
 
 
 schala-repl = { path = "../schala-repl" }
diff --git a/schala-lang/src/parsing/combinator.rs b/schala-lang/src/parsing/combinator.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c7a3f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schala-lang/src/parsing/combinator.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,243 @@
+use nom::{
+    Err,
+    branch::alt,
+    bytes::complete::tag,
+    character::complete::{char, one_of, space0, space1, multispace0, line_ending},
+    combinator::{peek, not, value, map},
+    error::{context, VerboseError, ParseError},
+    multi::{fold_many1, many1, many0, separated_list1},
+    sequence::{tuple, preceded},
+    IResult, Parser,
+};
+
+type ParseResult<'a, O> = IResult<&'a str, O, VerboseError<&'a str>>;
+
+use crate::ast::*;
+
+/*
+fn block(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Block> {
+    context("block",
+    map(
+    tuple((
+        char('{'),
+        value((), context("TOP", many0(alt((line_separator, ws))))),
+        block_items,
+        value((), many0(alt((line_separator, ws)))),
+        char('}'),
+    )), |(_, _, items, _, _)| items.into()))(input)
+}
+*/
+
+
+fn tok<'a, O>(input_parser: impl Parser<&'a str, O, VerboseError<&'a str>>) -> impl FnMut(&'a str) -> IResult<&'a str, O, VerboseError<&'a str>> {
+    map(tuple((ws0, input_parser)), |(_, output)| output)
+}
+
+// whitespace does consume at least one piece of whitespace - use ws0 for maybe none
+fn whitespace(input: &str) -> ParseResult<()> {
+    context("whitespace",
+    alt((
+    value((), space1),
+    line_comment,
+    block_comment,
+    )))(input)
+}
+
+fn ws0(input: &str) -> ParseResult<()> {
+    context("WS0",
+    value((), many0(whitespace)))(input)
+}
+
+fn line_comment(input: &str) -> ParseResult<()> {
+    value((),
+    tuple((tag("//"), many0(not(line_ending)), peek(line_ending)))
+    )(input)
+}
+
+fn block_comment(input: &str) -> ParseResult<()> {
+    value((),
+    tuple((
+        tag("/*"), 
+        many0(alt((
+            block_comment,
+            not(tag("*/"))
+        ))),
+        tag("*/")
+    )))(input)
+}
+
+fn line_separator(input: &str) -> ParseResult<()> {
+    alt((value((), line_ending), value((), char(';'))))(input)
+}
+
+fn block_items(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Vec<Statement>> {
+    context("Block-item",
+    separated_list1(
+        preceded(context("LLLL", ws0), many1(line_separator)),
+        statement,
+    ))(input)
+}
+
+fn statement(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Statement> {
+    context("Parsing-statement",
+    map(
+        tuple((
+            ws0,
+            expression_kind,
+            ws0
+        )),|(_, kind, _)| Statement {
+        id: Default::default(),
+        location: Default::default(),
+        kind: StatementKind::Expression(Expression::new(Default::default(), kind)),
+    }))(input)
+}
+
+pub fn expression_kind(input: &str) -> ParseResult<ExpressionKind> {
+    context("expression-kind",
+    alt((
+        number_literal,
+        bool_literal,
+    )))(input)
+}
+
+fn bool_literal(input: &str) -> ParseResult<ExpressionKind> {
+    alt((
+        map(tok(tag("true")), |_| ExpressionKind::BoolLiteral(true)),
+        map(tok(tag("false")), |_| ExpressionKind::BoolLiteral(false)),
+    ))(input)
+}
+
+fn number_literal(input: &str) -> ParseResult<ExpressionKind> {
+    map(alt((tok(hex_literal), tok(bin_literal), tok(dec_literal))), ExpressionKind::NatLiteral)(input)
+}
+
+fn dec_literal(input: &str) -> ParseResult<u64> {
+    map(digits(digit_group_dec), |chars: Vec<char>| {
+        let s: String = chars.into_iter().collect();
+        s.parse().unwrap()
+    })(input)
+}
+
+fn hex_literal(input: &str) -> ParseResult<u64> {
+    map(preceded(alt((tag("0x"), tag("0X"))), digits(digit_group_hex)), |chars: Vec<char>| {
+        let s: String = chars.into_iter().collect();
+        parse_hex(&s).unwrap()
+    })(input)
+}
+
+fn bin_literal(input: &str) -> ParseResult<u64> {
+    map(preceded(alt((tag("0b"), tag("0B"))), digits(digit_group_bin)), |chars: Vec<char>| {
+        let s: String = chars.into_iter().collect();
+        parse_binary(&s).unwrap()
+    })(input)
+}
+
+fn digits<'a, E: ParseError<&'a str>>(
+    digit_type: impl Parser<&'a str, Vec<char>, E>,
+) -> impl FnMut(&'a str) -> IResult<&'a str, Vec<char>, E> {
+    map(separated_list1(many1(char('_')), digit_type), |items: Vec<Vec<char>>| {
+        items.into_iter().flatten().collect()
+    })
+}
+
+fn digit_group_dec(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Vec<char>> {
+    many1(one_of("0123456789"))(input)
+}
+
+fn digit_group_hex(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Vec<char>> {
+    many1(one_of("0123456789abcdefABCDEF"))(input)
+}
+
+fn digit_group_bin(input: &str) -> ParseResult<Vec<char>> {
+    many1(one_of("01"))(input)
+}
+
+fn parse_binary(digits: &str) -> Result<u64, &'static str> {
+    let mut result: u64 = 0;
+    let mut multiplier = 1;
+    for d in digits.chars().rev() {
+        match d {
+            '1' => result += multiplier,
+            '0' => (),
+            '_' => continue,
+            _ => unreachable!(),
+        }
+        multiplier = match multiplier.checked_mul(2) {
+            Some(m) => m,
+            None => return Err("Binary expression will overflow"),
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(result)
+}
+
+fn parse_hex(digits: &str) -> Result<u64, &'static str> {
+    let mut result: u64 = 0;
+    let mut multiplier: u64 = 1;
+    for d in digits.chars().rev() {
+        if d == '_' {
+            continue;
+        }
+        match d.to_digit(16) {
+            Some(n) => result += n as u64 * multiplier,
+            None => return Err("Internal parser error: invalid hex digit"),
+        }
+        multiplier = match multiplier.checked_mul(16) {
+            Some(m) => m,
+            None => return Err("Hexadecimal expression will overflow"),
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(result)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
+
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn combinator_test1() {
+        assert_eq!(digits(digit_group_dec)("342").unwrap().1, vec!['3', '4', '2']);
+        assert_eq!(bin_literal("0b1111qsdf"), Ok(("qsdf", 15)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn combinator_test2() {
+        for s in ["15", "0b1111", "1_5_", "0XF__", "0Xf"].iter() {
+            assert_eq!(expression_kind(s).unwrap().1, ExpressionKind::NatLiteral(15));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /*
+    #[test]
+    fn combinator_test3() {
+        let source = r#"{
+
+            4_5
+            11; 0xf
+            }"#;
+        let parsed = block(source).map_err(|err| match err {
+            Err::Error(err) | Err::Failure(err) => nom::error::convert_error(source, err),
+            _ => panic!()
+        });
+        //let parsed = block(source);
+
+        if let Err(err) = parsed {
+            println!("{}", err);
+            panic!("parse error desu!");
+        }
+
+        assert_eq!(parsed.unwrap().1, vec![
+            Statement { id: Default::default(), location:
+            Default::default(), kind: StatementKind::Expression(Expression::new(Default::default(),
+            ExpressionKind::NatLiteral(45))) },
+            Statement { id: Default::default(), location:
+            Default::default(), kind: StatementKind::Expression(Expression::new(Default::default(),
+            ExpressionKind::NatLiteral(11))) },
+            Statement { id: Default::default(), location:
+            Default::default(), kind: StatementKind::Expression(Expression::new(Default::default(),
+            ExpressionKind::NatLiteral(15))) },
+        ].into());
+    }
+    */
+}
diff --git a/schala-lang/src/parsing/mod.rs b/schala-lang/src/parsing/mod.rs
index 6be3d9e..93d6c11 100644
--- a/schala-lang/src/parsing/mod.rs
+++ b/schala-lang/src/parsing/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 
+mod combinator;
 mod peg_parser;
 mod test;