Я здобув нагороду.

I gained an award.

Breakdown of Я здобув нагороду.

• я: I
• нагорода: the award
• здобути: to gain

Questions & Answers about Я здобув нагороду.

What does the verb здобув mean and what aspect does it convey?

The verb здобув comes from здобути, which means to acquire, earn, or win. It is used in the perfective aspect, indicating that the action is viewed as complete. Additionally, notice that здобув is in the past tense and agrees with a masculine subject, which fits with Я ("I").

Why is нагороду in the accusative case and what does that tell me about the noun?

Нагороду is in the accusative case because it serves as the direct object of the sentence. In Ukrainian, the direct object of an action takes the accusative form. Here, нагороду means award or prize, and its form changes according to its function in the sentence.

How does gender affect the verb form in this sentence?

In Ukrainian, past tense verbs agree in gender with their subject. Since Я ("I") is used in a masculine sense in this sentence, the verb appears as здобув. If a female speaker were saying the same thing, she would say здобула instead. This agreement is an important feature of Ukrainian verb conjugation in the past tense.

Could another verb be used to express the idea of "getting an award" in Ukrainian?

Yes, you could also say Я отримав нагороду. The verb отримав (from отримати) means received. While здобув sometimes implies earning or achieving through effort, отримав tends to be a more neutral way to say "received" or "got." Both are correct, but they might be chosen based on the nuance you want to convey.

Why is there no article like "a" or "an" in the Ukrainian sentence?

Ukrainian, like many other Slavic languages, does not use articles. Concepts such as definiteness or indefiniteness are usually understood from context rather than expressed with separate words like a or the. Therefore, Я здобув нагороду naturally translates to "I got an award" without needing an article.