Петро може уникнути дощу.

Petro

Breakdown of Петро може уникнути дощу.

• дощ: the rain
• могти: to be able to
• уникнути: to avoid

Questions & Answers about Петро може уникнути дощу.

What does the sentence “Петро може уникнути дощу” mean in English?

It means "Petro can avoid the rain." The sentence indicates that Petro has the ability or opportunity to evade getting caught in the rain, much like how we would express possibility with modal verbs in English.

Why is the noun дощу in the genitive case rather than in the accusative?

In Ukrainian, some verbs require their objects to be in the genitive case. The verb уникнути (to avoid) is one of these verbs, so its object дощ takes the genitive form дощу instead of the accusative.

What role does the modal verb може play in this sentence?

може is the third person singular form of могти, which means "can" or "to be able to." It functions as a modal verb to express Petro's capacity or possibility to perform the action of avoiding the rain.

Why is the main verb уникнути used in the infinitive form after може?

Similar to English, where modal verbs like “can” are followed by the base form of the verb, Ukrainian uses the infinitive after modal verbs. In this sentence, уникнути is the infinitive form meaning “to avoid,” which describes the action Petro is capable of doing.