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Questions & Answers about Я дбаю про друзів.
What does the Я in the sentence mean?
Я is the first person singular pronoun in Ukrainian, equivalent to “I” in English. It serves as the subject of the sentence.
How is the verb дбати/дбаю used in this sentence, and what does it mean?
The verb дбати means “to care” or “to take care of.” In the sentence, it appears as дбаю, which is the first person singular present tense form. This form expresses that the speaker cares for or takes care of someone or something.
Why is the preposition про used after дбаю?
The preposition про functions similarly to “about” in English. Ukrainian verbs often require specific prepositions, and дбати is one that needs про to introduce the object of care. Thus, Я дбаю про друзів translates to “I care about (or for) friends.”
Why is the form друзів used instead of друзі?
The form друзів is used because the object introduced by про must be in the accusative case. In Ukrainian, animate masculine plural nouns have an accusative form that is identical to their genitive plural form. Therefore, while the nominative plural is друзі, the correct accusative form in this construction is друзів.
Does the sentence imply a possessive idea like “my friends,” even though there is no explicit possessive pronoun?
Yes, it does. In Ukrainian, it is common to omit explicit possessive pronouns when the context makes the meaning clear. Even without a word equivalent to “my,” the sentence Я дбаю про друзів is generally understood to mean that the speaker cares for his or her own friends.