Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Компетенція фахівця важлива в сучасному конкурентному світі. - A specialist’s competence is important in today’s competitive world.

The sentence “Компетенція фахівця важлива в сучасному конкурентному світі.” follows a basic subject–predicate pattern. The phrase Компетенція фахівця acts as the subject (a noun with an accompanying genitive noun indicating possession), важлива serves as the predicate adjective describing the subject, and в сучасному конкурентному світі functions as a prepositional phrase that provides contextual information about where or under what conditions the statement applies.

Why is the noun “фахівця” in the genitive case instead of the nominative?

In Ukrainian, possession or attributive relationships are often expressed by placing the dependent noun in the genitive case. Here, фахівця (derived from фахівець, meaning “specialist”) is in the genitive to show that the competence belongs to or is attributed to the specialist. This format is similar to using “of a” or “of the” in English.

How do the adjectives “сучасному” and “конкурентному” agree with the noun “світі” in the phrase “в сучасному конкурентному світі”?

Both adjectives сучасному (“modern”) and конкурентному (“competitive”) are in the locative singular form, which is required by the preposition в (meaning “in”) when indicating location. They agree in gender, number, and case with світі (the locative form of світ, meaning “world”). The endings -ому reflect the standard locative form for masculine/neuter nouns in Ukrainian.

Why does the preposition “в” require the locative case in this sentence?

In Ukrainian, the preposition в usually governs the locative case when specifying location or context. In the phrase в сучасному конкурентному світі, the locative case is used to denote the setting or environment (“in the modern competitive world”), and the associated adjectives adopt the locative endings to maintain grammatical agreement.

How is possession expressed in the phrase “Компетенція фахівця”?

Possession is indicated by placing the noun that shows ownership or association (фахівця, meaning “specialist”) in the genitive case immediately after the noun it modifies (Компетенція, meaning “competence”). This construction mirrors the English “of”—so the phrase essentially translates as “the competence of the specialist.”

Since English uses articles like “the” and “a,” how does Ukrainian express definiteness in this sentence?

Ukrainian does not have articles; there are no words equivalent to “the” or “a/an.” Instead, definiteness and specificity are inferred from the context and the noun phrases themselves. In this sentence, Компетенція фахівця is understood contextually without needing an explicit article.

What does the predicate adjective “важлива” convey about the subject “Компетенція фахівця”?

The adjective важлива means “important” and serves as the complement to the subject. It tells us that the competence or expertise of the specialist is significant, particularly within the context provided by the prepositional phrase в сучасному конкурентному світі (“in the modern competitive world”).