Я витратив гроші.

I spent money.

Breakdown of Я витратив гроші.

• я: I
• гроші: the money
• витратити: to spend

Questions & Answers about Я витратив гроші.

Why is the verb form витратив used in this sentence?

Витратив is the masculine singular past tense form of the perfective verb витратити. In Ukrainian, past tense verbs agree with the gender of the subject. Since Я (“I”) is used here and it’s assumed the speaker is male, витратив is the correct form. A female speaker would say Я витратила гроші.

What aspect does витратив indicate and why is that important?

Витратив is in the perfective aspect, which means it expresses a completed action. In this sentence, it shows that the action of spending money has been finished. This contrasts with the imperfective aspect, which would indicate an ongoing or habitual action.

What is the infinitive form of витратив, and what does it mean?

The infinitive form is витратити, which means “to spend.” The form витратив is its past tense, perfective conjugation used to indicate that the spending has been completed.

Why is the noun гроші used in its plural form in this sentence?

In Ukrainian, the word for money—гроші—is used only in the plural form. Even though in English “money” can sometimes sound singular, Ukrainian treats it as a plural noun by convention.

Is it necessary to include the subject pronoun Я in the sentence?

Ukrainian is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns can be omitted when the verb form clearly indicates the subject. However, including Я adds clarity or emphasis on who performed the action, which can be useful in certain contexts.

What tense is represented by the verb витратив?

The verb витратив is in the past tense. Combined with its perfective aspect, it conveys that the action of spending money was completed in the past.

How would you change the sentence if you wanted to express an ongoing or habitual action of spending money?

To indicate an ongoing or habitual action, you would use the imperfective aspect instead of the perfective. For example, you could say Я витрачаю гроші, which means “I am spending money” or “I spend money” in a habitual sense.

Is there any flexibility in the word order of Я витратив гроші, and how might it affect emphasis?

Yes, Ukrainian allows for flexible word order due to its rich case system. While Я витратив гроші follows the standard subject-verb-object order, rearranging the words can add emphasis to a particular part of the sentence. For instance, placing гроші at the beginning could stress what was spent, though the overall meaning remains clear because of the grammatical cases.