Breakdown of Спогади про дитинство дарують мені посмішку, коли я їх згадую.
я
I
мені
me
дарувати
to give
коли
when
дитинство
the childhood
про
about
спогад
the memory
посмішка
the smile
їх
them
згадувати
to recall
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Questions & Answers about Спогади про дитинство дарують мені посмішку, коли я їх згадую.
What is the overall structure of the sentence, and what roles do its main parts play?
The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate time clause. In the main clause, спогади про дитинство is the subject; дарують is the verb agreeing in number with the subject; мені is the indirect object in the dative case (indicating “to me”); and посмішку is the direct object in the accusative case (what is given). The subordinate clause коли я їх згадую specifies the time of the action.
How does the preposition про affect the noun дитинство, and why does its form remain unchanged?
The preposition про requires the following noun to be in the accusative case. However, since дитинство (childhood) is a neuter noun, its nominative and accusative forms are identical. Thus, although it fulfills the accusative function following про, its appearance remains unchanged.
Why is the verb дарують in the plural form, and how does it agree with the subject?
Дарують is the third person plural form of the verb дарувати (to give or bestow). It is in the plural because it must agree with its subject, спогади (memories), which is a plural noun.
What case is мені in, and what is its function in the sentence?
Мені is in the dative case. It functions as the indirect object by indicating to whom посмішку (a smile) is given as a result of the action described by the verb.
Why is посмішку in the accusative case, and what does that tell us about its role?
Посмішку is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb дарують. In Ukrainian, the direct object of a verb takes the accusative, marking what is being given—in this case, a smile.
What does the pronoun їх refer to in the subordinate clause коли я їх згадую, and why is it used?
Їх is a third person plural pronoun referring back to the subject спогади. It is used in the subordinate clause to avoid repeating the noun and serves as the direct object of the verb згадую (to recall).
Why is there a comma before the subordinate clause коли я їх згадую?
The comma is used to separate the main clause from the subordinate (adverbial) time clause. This punctuation indicates that the clause beginning with коли provides additional, dependent information about when the memories give the speaker a smile.