Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Промова була зрозуміла.

It translates literally as "The speech was understandable." Here, Промова means "speech," була is the past tense form of "to be" (feminine, matching Промова), and зрозуміла is the adjective meaning "understandable."

Why is the copula була used in this sentence even though Ukrainian often omits the verb "to be" in the present tense?

In Ukrainian, the present tense of "to be" is typically omitted, but in the past (and future) tenses an explicit copular form is required. Була is the past tense form that not only indicates the past time but also agrees with the feminine noun Промова.

How do the noun Промова and the adjective зрозуміла agree grammatically?

Ukrainian adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and sometimes case. Since Промова is a feminine singular noun, the predicate adjective зрозуміла is also rendered in the feminine singular form to ensure correct agreement.

What is the standard sentence structure in Промова була зрозуміла, and is this structure commonly used in Ukrainian?

The sentence follows a common structure: Subject (Промова) + Copula (була) + Predicate Adjective (зрозуміла). This Subject–Copula–Predicate order is typical for simple declarative sentences in Ukrainian, although the language’s inflectional nature allows for some flexibility in word order.