Бабуся готує смачний обід.

Grandmother prepares a tasty lunch.

Breakdown of Бабуся готує смачний обід.

• смачний: tasty
• готувати: to prepare
• обід: the lunch
• бабуся: the grandmother

Questions & Answers about Бабуся готує смачний обід.

What does Бабуся mean in English, and are there any cultural nuances associated with it?

Бабуся translates to grandmother in English. It is an affectionate and familiar term used to refer to one’s grandmother, conveying warmth and endearment. While other words might refer to an older woman, Бабуся specifically implies a close familial relationship.

How is the verb готує formed, and why does it agree with Бабуся in this sentence?

The verb готує is the third person singular present tense form of готувати (to prepare or cook). Even though Ukrainian verbs in the present tense do not mark gender, готує agrees with its subject Бабуся (grandmother) because the subject is singular, and the verb form remains the same regardless of the subject’s gender.

Why is the adjective смачний used in this form, and how does it relate to the noun обід?

The adjective смачний is in the masculine singular form because it modifies the noun обід, which is an inanimate masculine noun. In Ukrainian, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Since обід is in the accusative case—and for inanimate masculine nouns the accusative form is identical to the nominative—the adjective appears as смачний.

Why doesn’t the direct object смачний обід show any special ending to mark the accusative case?

In Ukrainian, the accusative case for inanimate masculine nouns like обід is the same as the nominative case. Therefore, even though смачний обід functions as the direct object, its form does not change. The adjective смачний also takes the corresponding form to match обід.

Is the word order in this sentence flexible, and could it be rearranged without changing the meaning?

Yes, Ukrainian has a relatively flexible word order due to its robust case system, which clearly marks the grammatical roles of words. While Бабуся готує смачний обід follows the standard Subject-Verb-Object order, you could rearrange the sentence (for example, Смачний обід готує бабуся) to put emphasis on a different element. However, such changes in order might subtly alter the focus or tone without changing the fundamental meaning.

How do we know the sentence is in the present tense?

The sentence is in the present tense, which is indicated by the form готує. This is the third person singular present tense of готувати. In Ukrainian, the present tense is used to express actions that are currently happening or habitual actions, so the verb form clearly shows that the action takes place in the present.