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Questions & Answers about Їхній офіс чистий.
What does їхній mean in this sentence, and why is it used in this form?
Їхній translates to their and functions as a possessive adjective. It is used in its masculine nominative singular form because it modifies офіс, which is a masculine singular noun. In Ukrainian, possessive adjectives change their endings to agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they accompany.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence, as in the English "Their office is clean"?
In Ukrainian, the present tense of the verb to be is typically omitted in simple equative sentences. Thus, Їхній офіс чистий literally means Their office clean, with the linking verb implied rather than explicitly stated.
How does the adjective чистий agree with the noun офіс?
The adjective чистий means clean and is in the masculine nominative singular form, matching офіс (a masculine singular noun). In Ukrainian, adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case, so чистий correctly reflects the form of офіс.
What would change if the noun were feminine instead of masculine?
If the noun were feminine, both the possessive adjective and the predicate adjective would change to match that gender. For example, if you had їхня книга чиста (meaning Their book is clean), книга is feminine, so the possessive becomes їхня and the adjective becomes чиста, both in the feminine nominative singular form.
What is the overall structure of the sentence, and how does it compare to English sentence structure?
The structure of Їхній офіс чистий is [Possessive adjective] + [Noun] + [Predicate adjective]. In English, you would say Their office is clean, including the linking verb is. Ukrainian, however, omits the present tense form of the verb to be in such constructions, so the quality is directly attributed to the noun without an explicit copula.
What case is used for the noun офіс, and why is that important?
Офіс is in the nominative case because it functions as the subject (or the topic) of the sentence. In Ukrainian equative sentences—where an adjective describes the subject—both the subject and the predicate adjective are in the nominative case. This agreement in case helps indicate that the adjective чистий is describing the noun офіс.
Is чистий used as an attributive or predicative adjective in this sentence, and what does that mean?
In this sentence, чистий is a predicative adjective because it serves as the description of the noun rather than directly modifying it within a noun phrase. It forms part of the predicate that tells us about the state or quality of офіс. Even though it appears after the noun, its role is to express the property of the office, much like predicate adjectives in English.