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Questions & Answers about Усмішка робить мене щасливим.
What is the translation of the sentence "Усмішка робить мене щасливим"?
It translates to "A smile makes me happy." The sentence expresses that the act of smiling has the effect of making the speaker happy.
Why is the adjective щасливим in the instrumental case?
In Ukrainian, when a verb such as робити (to make) is used to indicate that someone is caused to be in a certain state, the resulting state is expressed using the instrumental case. Here, щасливим is the instrumental form of щасливий (happy) because it describes the state into which the object (мене) is brought.
What role does the word робить play in this sentence?
The word робить is the third-person singular form of the verb робити, which means "to make". In this sentence, it indicates that the subject (усмішка, meaning "smile") causes the object (мене, meaning "me") to be in a happy state.
Why is мене used in the accusative case?
The pronoun мене is the first-person singular form in the accusative case. In Ukrainian, the object of a verb is typically marked by the accusative case. Here, мене is the direct object of робить, similar to how English uses “me” as the object in “A smile makes me happy.”
How would the sentence change if the speaker were female?
Ukrainian adjectives must agree in gender with the noun or pronoun they describe. In this sentence, щасливим is the masculine instrumental form because it refers to a male speaker. For a female speaker, you would change it to the feminine instrumental – щасливою – making the sentence: "Усмішка робить мене щасливою."