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Questions & Answers about Маленький кіт бігає в парку.
What does the sentence Маленький кіт бігає в парку mean in English, and how is it structured?
It translates to “The small cat runs in the park.” The sentence is structured with a subject (Маленький кіт), a verb (бігає), and a locative prepositional phrase (в парку) that tells us where the action is happening.
What is the role of the adjective маленький in this sentence, and how does it agree with the noun кіт?
Маленький is an adjective that describes the noun кіт. In Ukrainian, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Here, both are in the masculine singular nominative form.
What form is the verb бігає, and what does it tell us about the action?
Бігає is the third person singular present tense form of the verb бігати (meaning “to run”). It indicates that the cat is running either right now or habitually, using the imperfective aspect to describe an ongoing or repeated action.
Why is the noun парк written as парку in the phrase в парку?
The noun appears as парку because it is in the locative case, which is required by the preposition в when indicating location. In Ukrainian, many masculine nouns change their ending in the locative case, and парк becomes парку here.
Without using articles like “the” or “a”, how does Ukrainian convey definiteness and specificity in this sentence?
Ukrainian does not use articles. Instead, definiteness is understood from context, word order, and sometimes intonation. In this sentence, кіт is clearly identified through its descriptive adjective маленький and the context provided by the rest of the sentence.
Is the word order in Ukrainian rigid, and what effect might reordering elements have in a sentence like this?
Ukrainian has a relatively flexible word order. While the typical structure is subject–verb–complement (or adjunct, in this case), altering the order can be used for emphasis or stylistic effect. However, the current order in Маленький кіт бігає в парку clearly shows who is doing the action and where it takes place, making it straightforward and easy to understand.