Breakdown of Мій діалог з професором був цікавим і повчальним.
мій
my
цікавий
interesting
бути
to be
і
and
з
with
діалог
the dialogue
професор
the professor
повчальний
instructive
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Questions & Answers about Мій діалог з професором був цікавим і повчальним.
Why are the adjectives цікавим and повчальним in the instrumental case rather than the nominative?
In Ukrainian, predicate adjectives following the linking verb був (was) are typically put in the instrumental case. This construction expresses the state or quality of the subject. Since цікавим and повчальним describe the dialogue’s characteristics, they appear in the instrumental form.
What role does the possessive adjective мій play, and why does it agree in gender, number, and case with діалог?
The word мій translates to "my" and shows possession. In Ukrainian, adjectives—including possessive adjectives—must agree with the noun they modify. Because діалог is a masculine singular noun in the nominative case (serving as the subject of the sentence), мій is used in its masculine, singular, nominative form.
How does the preposition з function in the phrase з професором, and why is професором in the instrumental case?
The preposition з means "with" and is used to indicate accompaniment or association. In Ukrainian, when з expresses the idea of being with someone, the following noun is required to be in the instrumental case. Therefore, професором (the instrumental form of професор) is used to show that the conversation occurred with the professor.
How is the past tense expressed using був in this sentence?
The word був is the masculine singular past tense form of бути (to be). Since the subject діалог is masculine singular, був correctly reflects that past state, meaning "was" in English.
Why are the adjectives цікавим and повчальним joined by і without a comma between them?
In Ukrainian, when two adjectives are coordinated with the conjunction і (which means "and"), a comma is not required between them. This is because the conjunction connects the adjectives directly, indicating that both equally describe the subject without needing additional punctuation for separation.