Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вчителька стала більш терплячою, коли пояснила складну тему. - The teacher became more patient when she explained a complex topic.

Вчителька translates to “female teacher.” In Ukrainian, many nouns are gendered, and the suffix -ка indicates the feminine form. This is why the sentence specifically refers to a female teacher.

How is the comparative degree expressed in більш терплячою?

The comparative is formed by placing більш (meaning “more”) before an adjective. Here, терплячою is the feminine instrumental form of the adjective meaning “patient.” Together, більш терплячою means “more patient.”

Why is the adjective терплячою in the instrumental case after the verb стала?

In Ukrainian, when using the verb стати (“to become”), the predicate adjective is typically put in the instrumental case to denote a change of state. Since вчителька is a feminine noun, терплячою appears in the instrumental feminine singular to show that she became more patient.

What is the function of the clause коли пояснила складну тему in this sentence?

The clause коли пояснила складну тему translates to “when she explained a difficult topic.” It serves as a temporal clause, providing the context for when the teacher became more patient. The conjunction коли introduces this subordinate clause, linking the change in her demeanor to the moment of explanation.

How do the adjective and noun in складну тему agree grammatically, and why are they in the accusative case?

In the phrase складну тему, both the adjective складну (“difficult”) and the noun тему (“topic”) are in the accusative case because they form the direct object of the verb пояснила (“explained”). They agree in gender (feminine) and number (singular) according to Ukrainian declension rules.