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Questions & Answers about Ніч спокійна.
Why is there no explicit verb like is in the sentence "Ніч спокійна."?
In Ukrainian, the present tense often omits the copula (the linking verb is). Even though there’s no separate word for is, the sentence is fully understood as "The night is calm."
How does the adjective спокійна agree with the noun ніч?
The adjective спокійна must agree with ніч in gender and number. Since ніч is a feminine singular noun, the adjective appears in its feminine singular form, ensuring proper grammatical agreement.
Why is there no article before ніч even though the English translation uses the in "The night is calm"?
Ukrainian does not use articles like a, an, or the. The definiteness or indefiniteness of a noun is inferred from context rather than from a separate word. Thus, ніч can be interpreted as night or the night depending on the context.
Is the word order in the sentence fixed, or can it be rearranged? What happens if it changes?
Ukrainian allows a flexible word order. The sentence "Ніч спокійна." follows the typical subject–predicate structure (with ніч as the subject and спокійна as the predicate adjective). Changing the order to "Спокійна ніч." is also acceptable and might place additional emphasis on the adjective спокійна, slightly altering the nuance of the expression.
Does the simplicity of "Ніч спокійна." fully convey the intended meaning even though it’s very brief?
Yes, the sentence is complete and typical of Ukrainian descriptive statements, especially in more poetic or concise registers. Its brevity, aided by the language’s grammatical structure, effectively communicates the idea that the night is calm without needing extra words.