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Questions & Answers about Вибач, я забув ручку.
What does вибач mean in this sentence and when do you use it?
вибач is the informal singular imperative of вибачити, literally “forgive (me).” In everyday speech it functions like “sorry” or “excuse me” when talking to one person you address as ти.
Why is я necessary in я забув? Can you just say забув ручку?
In Ukrainian, past‐tense verbs do not mark person (they only mark gender and number). So забув by itself could mean “he forgot” or “I forgot” (if said by a man). Adding я makes it clear that I am the one who forgot.
What tense and form is забув, and does gender matter?
забув is the masculine singular past‐tense form of забути (“to forget”). A male speaker says забув, a female speaker says забула, and a neuter subject would be забуло.
Why is ручку in this form? Which case is it?
ручку is the accusative singular of ручка (“pen”). After a transitive verb like забути, the direct object goes into the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -а change to -у in the accusative.
What’s the difference between вибач and вибачте?
вибач is informal singular (addressing one person as ти). вибачте is either formal or plural (addressing one person politely as ви, or a group). Use вибачте with strangers, elders or in formal contexts.
Can you replace вибач with пробач here?
Yes. пробач is another informal imperative meaning “forgive” or “sorry.” It’s slightly more emotional, but in casual speech it’s interchangeable with вибач.
Why is there a comma after вибач?
The comma separates the imperative вибач from the main clause я забув ручку, signaling that you’ve issued a short “sorry” before continuing. In informal notes or texts you might drop it, but standard punctuation includes the comma.