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?