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Questions & Answers about Собака бігає.
What does собака mean, and what is its grammatical gender in Ukrainian?
The word собака means “dog” in English. Although it refers to a dog regardless of its actual sex, grammatically it is a feminine noun in Ukrainian.
How is the verb бігає conjugated, and what tense does it represent?
Бігає is conjugated in the third person singular and is in the present tense. This form indicates that the dog is running right now or that running is a habitual action.
Why is there no article (like “a” or “the”) before собака in this sentence?
Ukrainian does not have articles in its grammar. The definiteness or indefiniteness of a noun is inferred from context rather than from a specific word, so no article is needed before собака.
What is the basic sentence structure of “Собака бігає” compared to English?
The sentence follows a Subject-Verb order similar to English. Собака is the subject (“dog”), and бігає is the predicate (“is running” or “runs”), making it straightforward to comprehend for English speakers.
What does the ending -є in бігає indicate about the verb?
In Ukrainian, verb endings change according to the person and number. The -є ending in бігає is typical for the third person singular present tense form of verbs that end in -ати, signaling that the action is performed by a single subject.
Is there a difference between бігти and бігати, and why is бігає used in this sentence?
Yes, there is a nuance. Ukrainian often distinguishes between different forms of verbs that mean “to run.” Бігати generally implies habitual or ongoing running (multidirectional or repeated action), and бігає is its third person singular present form. Meanwhile, бігти might be used to describe a one-time, specific action. In “Собака бігає,” the choice of бігає aligns with expressing routine or ongoing action.