Questions & Answers about У книзі шістдесят сторінок.
Why is it у книзі, not книга?
Because after у here, Ukrainian uses the locative case to mean in the book.
- книга = book (dictionary form, nominative)
- у книзі = in the book (locative)
So the noun changes form:
- книга → книзі
This is very common after prepositions like у / в when they mean in.
Why is the preposition у used here? Can it also be в?
Yes. У and в often both mean in.
So these are both possible:
- У книзі шістдесят сторінок.
- В книзі шістдесят сторінок.
The choice between у and в is often made for easier pronunciation and smoother sound, not because the meaning changes. Ukrainian tries to avoid awkward clusters of consonants or vowels.
Here, у книзі is a very natural choice.
Why is there no verb here? Where is is/are?