Лікар оглянув долоню.

the doctor

Breakdown of Лікар оглянув долоню.

• оглянути: to examine; inspect
• долоня: the palm

Questions & Answers about Лікар оглянув долоню.

Why is долоню used instead of долоня?

Because долоню is the accusative singular form, and this noun is the direct object of the verb.

• dictionary form: долоня = palm
• in the sentence: оглянув долоню = examined the palm

For many feminine nouns ending in -я, the accusative singular ends in -ю:

• долоня → долоню
• земля → землю
• лінія → лінію

So Лікар оглянув долоню literally has the structure Doctor examined palm-ACC.

What case is долоню, and why is that case used?

It is in the accusative case.

Ukrainian uses the accusative for the direct object of most transitive verbs, including оглянути (to examine / inspect).

So:

• лікар = subject, nominative
• оглянув = verb
• долоню = direct object, accusative

This is very similar to English structure, except that in Ukrainian the noun ending shows its role more clearly.

Why is the verb оглянув and not some other form like оглядав?