Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вчора у мене була коротка зустріч з другом на каві. - Yesterday I had a brief meeting with a friend over coffee.

Вчора means yesterday. Placing it at the beginning sets the time context for the event, which is a common pattern in Ukrainian to indicate when something occurred.

What does the phrase у мене була signify in this context?

The construction у мене була literally translates as “at me was” and is used to express that something happened to you—in this case, “I had a short meeting.” This way of expressing possession or experience is typical in Ukrainian instead of directly translating “had.”

Why is the adjective коротка used, and what does it tell us about зустріч?

Коротка means short and is the feminine singular form of the adjective. It agrees in gender, number, and case with зустріч (meeting), which is a feminine noun. This agreement is a key feature of Ukrainian grammar.

Why is the verb була used in the sentence?

Була is the past tense form of the verb “to be” in Ukrainian, and it agrees with the feminine noun зустріч. Even though the sentence communicates an action experienced by “me,” the verb agrees with the subject—the meeting—making the construction “у мене була…” equivalent to “I had…” in English.

What case is used in з другом, and why is it required here?

In з другом, другом is in the instrumental case. Ukrainian uses the preposition з (meaning “with”) together with the instrumental to indicate accompaniment. Thus, “with a friend” becomes з другом.

Why does the sentence use на каві instead of an accusative form like каву?

На каві employs the locative case following the preposition на to indicate the setting of the meeting—a casual context of having coffee. In Ukrainian, when referring to experiencing an event “over coffee,” the locative case is appropriate rather than the accusative, which would be used for a direct object.