Breakdown of Будинок не має електроенергії.
Questions & Answers about Будинок не має електроенергії.
What does не має mean here?
Why is електроенергії not електроенергія?
Because after не має, Ukrainian commonly uses the genitive case for the thing that is absent.
The base form is:
- електроенергія = electricity
But in this sentence it becomes:
- електроенергії = of electricity / electricity (genitive form)
This is very common with expressions of absence:
- Я не маю часу = I do not have time
- Вона не має досвіду = She does not have experience
- Будинок не має електроенергії = The house does not have electricity
So the important point is: negation + have/lack often triggers the genitive.
What case is будинок in?
Будинок is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.
- будинок = house
- it is the thing that does not have something
So the structure is:
- Будинок = subject
- не має = verb
- електроенергії = object in the genitive
Why does Ukrainian say The house does not have electricity instead of There is no electricity in the house?
Ukrainian can express this idea in more than one natural way.
This sentence uses a structure similar to English:
- Будинок не має електроенергії = The house does not have electricity
But very often Ukrainian speakers also say:
- У будинку немає електроенергії = There is no electricity in the house
Both are understandable and natural, but the second version is often more common in everyday speech when talking about whether a place currently has power.
So as a learner, it is useful to recognize both patterns:
- X не має Y = X does not have Y
- У X немає Y = There is no Y in X
Is електроенергія the normal word for electricity here?
Yes, електроенергія is a correct and standard word for electricity / electrical power.
However, in everyday speech, people often use shorter or more colloquial expressions, such as:
- світло = literally light, but often means electricity / power
- немає світла = there is no power / the power is out
So depending on the situation, you might hear:
- Будинок не має електроенергії
- У будинку немає електроенергії
- У будинку немає світла
All can refer to a lack of electrical power, though світло is especially common in everyday conversation.
Could I say Будинок не має електрики instead?
Yes, you may hear електрика in everyday language too, and без електрики is very common:
- Будинок без електрики = The house is without electricity
- У будинку немає електрики = There is no electricity in the house
But електроенергія sounds more formal, technical, or standard in some contexts.
A rough comparison:
- електроенергія = electrical energy / electricity
- електрика = electricity, often more everyday or less technical
- світло = power/electricity in very common speech
Why is there no word for the in the house?
Because Ukrainian does not have articles like English a and the.
So:
- будинок can mean a house or the house
The exact meaning depends on context.
In this sentence, English translates it as the house because that sounds natural in context, but Ukrainian itself does not mark that difference with an article.
Can the word order change?
Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English.
This sentence is:
- Будинок не має електроенергії
But other orders may be possible depending on emphasis. For example:
- Електроенергії будинок не має — marked, emphasizing the lack of electricity
- У будинку немає електроенергії — a very common alternative structure
The neutral word order here is the original one, but Ukrainian often changes order for focus, contrast, or style.
Is не має written as two words or one word?
In this sentence, it is written as two words:
- не має
That is because не is the negative particle and має is the verb.
However, you will also see немає as a single word. That is a very common form meaning there is not / does not exist / does not have depending on context.
Compare:
- Він не має часу = He does not have time
- У нього немає часу = He does not have time / He has no time
Both are correct, but they use slightly different structures.
How would a Ukrainian speaker most naturally say this in everyday conversation?
A very natural everyday version would often be:
- У будинку немає світла.
Literally, that is There is no light in the house, but in real usage it often means The house has no electricity / The power is out.
Other natural versions:
- У будинку немає електроенергії.
- Будинок без електрики.
So the sentence you were given is correct, but in ordinary conversation many speakers would choose a slightly different phrasing, especially with немає or світла.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning UkrainianMaster Ukrainian — from Будинок не має електроенергії to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions