Breakdown of Петро одягнув дитину ввечері.
Петро
Petro
ввечері
in the evening
дитина
the child
одягнути
to dress
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Questions & Answers about Петро одягнув дитину ввечері.
What does the verb одягнув mean, and why is it used in its past tense form?
Одягнув is the past tense, perfective form of the verb одягнути, which means “to dress” or “to put clothes on.” Its perfective aspect emphasizes that Petro completed the action of dressing the child in the evening.
How is the noun дитину formed, and what case is it in?
Дитину is the accusative singular form of the noun дитина (child). In Ukrainian, the direct object of a verb is typically in the accusative case, which here shows that the child is receiving the action of being dressed.
Why is Петро clearly identified as the subject in this sentence?
Even though Ukrainian allows flexible word order, Петро appears at the beginning of the sentence and is in the nominative form, marking him as the subject who performs the action of dressing. The structure confirms that Petro is the one doing the dressing.
What role does the adverb ввечері play, and is its placement typical?
Ввечері means “in the evening” and indicates the time when the action happened. Its placement at the end of the sentence is typical for Ukrainian, though adverbs can be moved for emphasis. Here, it simply provides additional temporal context.
Could this sentence be misunderstood to mean that Petro dressed himself rather than someone else? How is that ambiguity resolved?
No, the sentence is not ambiguous because одягнув is used with a direct object in the accusative case—дитину. This clearly shows that Petro is the one doing the action of dressing and that the child is the recipient of the action, not Petro himself.