Вранці небо було хмарним і прохолодним.

In the morning, the sky was cloudy and cool.

Breakdown of Вранці небо було хмарним і прохолодним.

• вранці: in the morning
• небо: the sky
• бути: to be
• і: and
• хмарний: cloudy
• прохолодний: cool

Questions & Answers about Вранці небо було хмарним і прохолодним.

What is the function of Вранці in this sentence?

Вранці serves as an adverbial phrase that establishes the time frame—“in the morning.” It tells us when the described state of the sky applies.

Why are the adjectives хмарним and прохолодним in the instrumental case?

In Ukrainian, when a sentence uses a linking verb like було (“was”) to describe a state or condition, the predicate adjectives take the instrumental case. This case indicates the manner or state in which the subject exists at that moment.

What role does було play in this sentence?

Було is the past tense of the verb бути (“to be”). It acts as the linking (copular) verb, connecting the subject небо (“sky”) with its descriptive qualities in the predicate, expressed by the adjectives in the instrumental case.

How is the sentence structured in terms of subject and predicate?

The sentence is built with небо as the subject in the nominative case. The predicate is formed by the linking verb було and the predicate adjectives хмарним and прохолодним, which describe the state of the sky and appear in the instrumental case because of the verb’s requirements.

Do the adjectives agree properly with the noun небо?

Yes, they do. Although небо is a neuter noun in the nominative case, in predicate constructions with було, the adjectives describing it must be in the instrumental case. Both хмарним and прохолодним take the neuter instrumental endings (‑ним) to correctly match the state of the noun as required by Ukrainian grammar.