Книга зберігається в будинку.

the house

Breakdown of Книга зберігається в будинку.

• книга: the book
• в: in
• зберігатися: to be kept

Questions & Answers about Книга зберігається в будинку.

What does the reflexive form “зберігається” indicate in this sentence?

It shows that the book is in a state of being stored rather than someone actively storing it. In Ukrainian, reflexive verbs like зберігатися are often used to express passive or state-like meanings without an explicit agent.

Which grammatical case does the noun “будинку” represent and why is it used here?

“Будинку” is in the locative case. This case is used after prepositions like в to indicate location—in this case, showing that the book is stored inside the house.

Why is the preposition rendered as “в” instead of “у” before “будинку”?

Both в and у are acceptable in Ukrainian. The choice depends on phonetic ease; here, в is preferred with будинку because it flows more naturally with the following consonant sound.

How does this reflexive structure in Ukrainian compare to the passive voice in English?

In English, the passive is typically formed with a form of “to be” and a past participle (e.g., “is stored”). Ukrainian, however, often uses the reflexive form (as in зберігається) to convey a similar meaning, emphasizing the state or condition of the subject without specifying an agent.

Why is “Книга” functioning as the subject while no one is explicitly performing the action?

Because the reflexive verb зберігається expresses that the book is in a state of being stored. This construction focuses on the condition of the book rather than on someone actively storing it, thus leaving the agent implicit.

Can this sentence be rephrased in Ukrainian to convey a similar meaning, and if so, how?

Yes, it can be rephrased as Книгу зберігають в будинку. However, this form uses an impersonal passive construction with a clear agent implied (someone is storing the book), which shifts the emphasis from the state of the book to the action of storing it.