Ми прополюємо клумбу, а граблі лежать поруч.

we

Breakdown of Ми прополюємо клумбу, а граблі лежать поруч.

• а: and
• поруч: nearby
• лежати: to lie

Questions & Answers about Ми прополюємо клумбу, а граблі лежать поруч.

Why is it клумбу and not клумба?

Because клумбу is the direct object of прополюємо.

The basic dictionary form is клумба. But feminine nouns ending in -а usually change to -у / -ю in the singular accusative, which is the case used for a direct object:

• клумба → клумбу
• книга → книгу
• машина → машину

So Ми прополюємо клумбу means We are weeding the flowerbed, with клумбу in the accusative.

Does прополюємо mean we weed or we are weeding?

It can mean either, depending on context.

Ukrainian does not have a separate present continuous form like English are weeding. The present tense of an imperfective verb can cover both:

• we weed
• we are weeding

Here, because the sentence describes a scene in progress, English would most naturally use we are weeding.

Also, прополюємо is:

• present tense
• 1st person plural
• from the imperfective verb прополювати

So the ending -ємо tells you it means we.

What exactly does come from, and what aspect is it?