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Questions & Answers about Собака бігає навколо будинку.
Why is the noun будинку in the genitive case in this sentence?
In Ukrainian, many spatial prepositions require the noun that follows to be in the genitive case. In this sentence, навколо (“around”) demands that its object, будинок (“house”), change to будинку. This structure conveys the idea of “around the house.”
What does the word навколо mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
Навколо means “around” or “surrounding” in English. It functions as a preposition indicating that the action (in this case, running) takes place in the space surrounding something—in other words, the house. Because it is a preposition that governs the genitive, the following noun appears as будинку.
Why are there no articles like the or a before собака and будинку?
Ukrainian does not have articles. Unlike English, where words like the or a are used to convey definiteness or indefiniteness, Ukrainian relies on context and word order. Therefore, собака (“dog”) and будинку (“house”) appear without any article.
How is the verb бігає formed, and what does it tell us about the action in this sentence?
The verb бігає is the third-person singular present tense form of the imperfective verb бігати (“to run”). In Ukrainian, the present tense can be used to indicate an action happening right now or as a habitual action. Thus, бігає can mean that the dog is currently running around the house or regularly runs around it—the exact nuance depends on context.
What is the grammatical gender of собака, and does it affect other words in the sentence?
The noun собака is grammatically feminine in Ukrainian, regardless of the actual sex of the dog. While this particular sentence does not include adjectives or pronouns that require gender agreement, it is important to know that собака is feminine so that any modifiers in longer or more complex sentences will agree correctly with it.