Breakdown of Довідка є в медичній картці.
в
in
бути
to be
медична картка
the medical record
довідка
the medical certificate
Questions & Answers about Довідка є в медичній картці.
What does є do in this sentence? Is it just the verb to be?
Yes. Є is the present-tense form of бути (to be), and here it means something like is / exists.
So Довідка є в медичній картці literally feels like:
- The document is in the medical record
- or There is a document in the medical record
In Ukrainian, present-tense to be is often omitted in simple sentences, so you will also very commonly hear:
Довідка в медичній картці.
That is natural too. Using є can make the sentence sound a bit more explicit or formal.
Can I leave out є here?
Usually, yes.
Both of these are possible:
- Довідка є в медичній картці.
- Довідка в медичній картці.
In everyday Ukrainian, the version without є is very common. The version with є can sound a little more formal, careful, or emphatic.
A useful rule of thumb:
- if you are simply identifying or describing something in the present, Ukrainian often drops is/are
- if you want to stress existence or be more explicit, є may appear
Why is it в медичній картці and not в медична картка?