Вибачте, я забув телефон вдома.

Excuse me, I forgot my phone at home.

Breakdown of Вибачте, я забув телефон вдома.

• я: I
• телефон: the phone
• вдома: at home
• забути: to forget
• вибачте: excuse me

Questions & Answers about Вибачте, я забув телефон вдома.

What does Вибачте mean and is it formal or informal?

Вибачте literally means “excuse me” or “sorry.” It’s the polite/formal (or plural) form. If you’re talking to a friend or family member, you’d use Вибач (informal).

Why is я included in я забув телефон вдома? Can it be dropped?

In Ukrainian, subject pronouns like я (I) are optional because the verb ending (-в in забув) already shows the person and number. You can say Забув телефон вдома and it still means “I forgot my phone at home.” Including я adds emphasis or clarity.

Why is the form забув used here? Would it change if a woman speaks?

Ukrainian past-tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender and number. Забув is masculine singular past. A female speaker would say я забула телефон вдома, using забула (feminine singular). For plural subjects, it becomes забули.

Why does телефон remain the same in this sentence? Shouldn’t it change case?

Телефон is a masculine inanimate noun. Inanimate masculine nouns have identical forms in the nominative and accusative singular. Since it’s the direct object, it’s in the accusative, but it looks the same as the nominative: телефон.

Do I need to include мій to say “my phone”? Why is it omitted?

Possessive pronouns like мій (my) are often dropped in Ukrainian when context makes ownership clear. Я забув телефон вдома naturally implies “I forgot my phone at home.” You could say Я забув мій телефон вдома, but it’s redundant and less common.

What does вдома mean, and is it different from дома?

Вдома is an adverb meaning “at home.” It’s the standard Ukrainian form. Дома (without the initial в-) is Russian and not standard in Ukrainian, though you might hear it colloquially in some regions. Stick with вдома.

Could I switch the word order to Я забув вдома телефон? Would that be correct?

Yes, Ukrainian has relatively free word order. Я забув вдома телефон is grammatically correct and emphasizes the location (вдома). The original я забув телефон вдома emphasizes the object (телефон) first. Both mean “I forgot my phone at home.”

Where is the stress in телефон and вдома?

• телефон is stressed on the last syllable: телефо́н
• вдома is stressed on the second syllable: вдома́

Can I say Я залишив телефон вдома instead of я забув телефон вдома? How do they differ?

• Я забув телефон вдома means “I forgot (to bring) my phone at home,” focusing on the act of forgetting.
• Я залишив телефон вдома means “I left my phone at home,” focusing on the action of leaving it behind. They overlap in meaning but carry slightly different nuances.