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Questions & Answers about Петро дружній до друзів.
Why is there no linking verb (such as "is") in the sentence "Петро дружній до друзів"?
In Ukrainian, especially in the present tense, the linking verb is is typically omitted. This omission is standard practice, so adjectives or predicate descriptors (like дружній) directly follow the subject without an explicit form of "to be."
How does the adjective дружній agree with the subject Петро in this sentence?
Adjectives in Ukrainian must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Since Петро is a masculine singular noun, дружній appears in the masculine singular nominative form to match it correctly.
What case is used for друзів in the phrase до друзів, and why is that case necessary?
The noun друг appears in its genitive plural form друзів after the preposition до. In Ukrainian, the preposition до requires the following noun to be in the genitive case, which indicates direction or relational association—here meaning "towards friends."
Why isn’t a possessive pronoun (like his) used before friends in this sentence?
Ukrainian often omits possessive pronouns when the context clearly indicates possession. In Петро дружній до друзів, it is understood that Петро is friendly toward his own friends. Although including a possessive like своїм (e.g., своїм друзям) is possible for added clarity, it isn’t necessary in this context.
Is the word order in "Петро дружній до друзів" fixed, or can it be altered without changing the meaning?
Ukrainian word order is quite flexible. The sentence Петро дружній до друзів follows a typical subject–predicate adjective–complement structure, but rearranging the words is possible and may add emphasis to different parts without significantly changing the overall meaning—as long as the proper cases and agreements are maintained.