Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: У кожного є новий початок.

In Ukrainian, the preposition У is used to express possession. Here, У кожного literally means “at every person’s” or “in everyone’s,” setting up a structure where possession is indicated by a prepositional phrase rather than a possessive adjective. This is a common way to say that every individual “has” something.

Why is кожного used here and what does it signify?

Кожного is the genitive form of кожен, which means “each” or “every.” In the construction У [genitive] є ..., the possessor is placed in the genitive case to indicate ownership. So, кожного essentially means “of everyone” or “each one’s,” highlighting that the following item, “новий початок” (new beginning), belongs to every person.

What case is кожного in, and why is that important?

Кожного is in the genitive case. In Ukrainian, when using the У...є structure to express possession, the noun (or pronoun) indicating the possessor must appear in the genitive case. This case marking signals that what follows is something possessed by “each/everyone.”

How does the adjective новий agree with the noun початок in this phrase?

In Ukrainian, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. The noun початок (beginning) is masculine and, in this context, used in a form that calls for a corresponding masculine adjective. Новий is the masculine singular nominative form of the adjective meaning “new,” so it correctly matches початок.

How does this Ukrainian construction for expressing possession differ from the typical English structure?

English usually expresses possession by using the verb “to have” or possessive pronouns (e.g., “Everyone has a new beginning”). In contrast, Ukrainian often employs the construction У [genitive] є [noun], which literally translates as “at everyone’s there is [noun].” This prepositional structure indicates possession without directly using a word equivalent to “have.”