Мій друг може допомогти мені.

my

Breakdown of Мій друг може допомогти мені.

• друг: the friend
• мені: me
• могти: to be able to
• допомогти: to help

Questions & Answers about Мій друг може допомогти мені.

What does the possessive adjective Мій indicate in this sentence?

Мій modifies друг and means “my” in English. It agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case, showing ownership or relation between the speaker and the friend.

Why is мені in the dative case instead of the accusative?

In Ukrainian, the verb допомогти (to help) requires its indirect object to be in the dative case. Thus, мені corresponds to “to me”, indicating the person receiving the help.

What form is може and what role does it play in the sentence?

може is the third person singular present tense form of the modal verb могти, which means “can” or “is able to”. It agrees with the subject друг and expresses the ability to perform the action described by the following verb.

Why is the infinitive допомогти used after може?

Ukrainian modal constructions work similarly to English. When expressing ability or possibility, the modal verb (here, може) is followed by an infinitive (допомогти), which conveys the actual action, analogous to “can help” in English.

How does the word order in Мій друг може допомогти мені compare to the typical English sentence structure?

The Ukrainian sentence follows a structure similar to its English equivalent, “My friend can help me.” It presents the subject (Мій друг), followed by the modal verb (може), then the infinitive (допомогти), and finally the indirect object (мені). Thanks to Ukrainian’s inflectional system, variations in word order are possible, but in this case, it closely mirrors the English arrangement.