Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вона супроводжує свого брата на концерт у вихідні. - She accompanies her brother to a concert on the weekend.

Супроводжує is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb супроводжувати, which means “to accompany” or “to escort.” The ending –є is a standard conjugation marker for third-person singular in Ukrainian, indicating that the action is currently taking place and that the subject is singular.

Why is the reflexive possessive pronoun свого used instead of a form like її?

In Ukrainian, when the possessor is the same as the subject, the reflexive possessive pronoun свій is used. Here, because вона means “she,” the correct reflexive form is свого (masculine singular accusative) to agree with брата. This usage emphasizes that the brother belongs to the subject herself.

How does case agreement work in the phrase свого брата?

The noun брата is in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object of the verb супроводжує. For masculine animate nouns in Ukrainian, the accusative form often resembles the genitive form. The adjective свого agrees with брата in gender, number, and case, ensuring that the possession is correctly indicated.

What is the role of the preposition на in на концерт?

The preposition на in на концерт is used to indicate direction or purpose. It translates loosely as “to” in English, showing that the action (accompanying) is directed toward an event – in this case, a concert. Ukrainian often employs на with events, even though English might use different prepositions depending on the context.

How is time expressed in the phrase у вихідні, and why is у the chosen preposition?

У вихідні means “on the weekend.” In this context, у functions as the temporal preposition indicating when the event occurs. The phrase shows that the action takes place during the weekend. Note that вихідні is plural, reflecting that weekends typically consist of multiple days (Saturday and Sunday).

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” before nouns such as брата or концерт?

Ukrainian, unlike English, does not have articles. Nouns appear without a definite or indefinite article, and context along with case endings provides the necessary specificity. This is why you see свого брата and на концерт without any words equivalent to “the” or “a.”

Can you break down the overall structure of the sentence Вона супроводжує свого брата на концерт у вихідні?

Certainly! The sentence follows a common Ukrainian structure: • Вона – The subject (“she”). • Супроводжує – The verb (“accompanies”), in third-person singular present tense. • Свого брата – The object (“her own brother”), with свого as the reflexive possessive pronoun agreeing with брата in gender, number, and case. • На концерт – A prepositional phrase indicating the destination or event (“to a concert”). • У вихідні – A prepositional phrase specifying the time (“on the weekend”). Though Ukrainian word order can be flexible, this arrangement clearly marks who is acting, what is being acted upon, and the contextual details of the event.