Ланцюг сухий.

• ланцюг = chain
• сухий = dry

So the sentence means The chain is dry or A chain is dry, depending on context.

In Ukrainian, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted in simple sentences like this.

So:

• Ланцюг сухий = The chain is dry

This is completely normal Ukrainian. English needs is, but Ukrainian usually does not in the present tense.

Usually, no need. The normal everyday version is simply Ланцюг сухий.

The word є can mean is / exists, but in sentences like this it is often left out. If you add it, the sentence may sound marked, formal, or less natural for a beginner-style statement.

So for basic Ukrainian, it is best to learn:

• Ланцюг сухий

not

• Ланцюг є сухий

Because сухий has to agree with ланцюг in gender, number, and case.

ланцюг is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also takes the masculine singular nominative form:

• masculine: сухий
• feminine: суха
• neuter: сухе
• plural: сухі

Examples:

• ланцюг сухий = the chain is dry
• мотузка суха = the rope is dry
• відро сухе = the bucket is dry

A very common clue in Ukrainian is the ending.

Nouns that end in a consonant are often masculine. ланцюг ends in г, so it is masculine.

That is why the adjective is masculine too:

• ланцюг сухий

This is a useful beginner pattern, although there are some exceptions in the language overall.

It is in the nominative singular.

Why?

• ланцюг is the subject of the sentence
• dictionary forms are usually nominative
• the adjective сухий is also in nominative singular masculine to match it

So this sentence uses the basic dictionary form of both words.

Ukrainian does not have articles like English the and a.

So ланцюг can mean:

• the chain
• a chain

Context tells you which one is meant.

For example:

• If you are already talking about a specific bike chain, Ланцюг сухий probably means The chain is dry.
• If you are making a general or first-time statement, it could be A chain is dry.

Usually not.

• Ланцюг сухий = The chain is dry
  Here сухий is the predicate adjective: it describes the chain in a full sentence.

• Сухий ланцюг = a dry chain / the dry chain
  Here сухий directly modifies the noun, so this is usually just a noun phrase, not a full sentence.

So if you want to say The chain is dry, the normal form is:

• Ланцюг сухий

A helpful approximation is:

lan-TSYUH su-KHYI

More exactly:

• ланцюг = ланцю́г
• сухий = сухи́й

The stress is on the last syllable in both words.

A few sound notes:

• ц sounds like ts
• х sounds like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• г in Ukrainian is not a hard English g; it is closer to a voiced h-like sound

If you like IPA:

• ланцюг = [lɐnʲˈtsʲuɦ]
• сухий = [suˈxɪj]

Just add не before the adjective:

• Ланцюг не сухий = The chain is not dry

This is the basic way to negate this kind of sentence.

Yes. It is short, simple, and grammatically natural.

It sounds like a basic statement someone might make when checking the condition of something, for example a bike chain or a metal chain.

Because it is very short, it can sound a little context-dependent, but the grammar is completely normal.