Breakdown of Вона вкорочує рукав, тоді як кравець подовжує штани.
вона
she
штани
the pants
кравець
the tailor
рукав
the sleeve
Questions & Answers about Вона вкорочує рукав, тоді як кравець подовжує штани.
Why is рукав in the form рукав, not рукава?
Because рукав is the direct object of вкорочує, and it is a masculine inanimate noun.
In Ukrainian, the accusative singular of masculine inanimate nouns is the same as the nominative singular. So:
- рукав = nominative singular
- рукав = accusative singular
That is why вкорочує рукав is correct for shortens the sleeve.
If it were a masculine animate noun, the accusative would usually match the genitive instead.
Why is штани plural? Why not a singular form?
Штани means trousers / pants, and it is normally used only in the plural in Ukrainian.
This is similar to English words like pants, trousers, or scissors, which are also often treated as plural in form.
So:
- штани = trousers / pants
- there is no normal everyday singular form meaning one pant
That is why the sentence says подовжує штани = lengthens the trousers/pants.
What does тоді як mean here?