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Questions & Answers about Що ти п’єш?
How do you pronounce Що ти п’єш?
- In IPA: /ʃt͡ʃo tɪ ˈpʲiɛʃ/
- Rough English approximation: “sht-cho ti p’yehsh?”
- Що = “sht-cho” (/ʃt͡ʃo/)
- ти = “ti” (/tɪ/)
- п’єш = “p’yehsh” (/pʲiˈeʃ/)
What part of speech is Що and what case does it take here?
- Що is an interrogative pronoun meaning “what.”
- It functions as the direct object of the verb and thus appears in the accusative case.
- Note: For neuter pronouns like що, the nominative and accusative forms coincide.
What is the infinitive form of п’єш, and how is it conjugated for ти?
- Infinitive: пити (“to drink”).
- Present-tense, 2nd-person singular (ти):
- я п’ю
- ти п’єш
- він/вона п’є
- You drop the infinitive ending -ти and add the ending -єш for ти.
Why is there an apostrophe in п’єш, and what does it do?
- The apostrophe indicates a separation (no softening) between the consonant п and the iotated vowel є.
- Without it, пєш would imply a softened п’; with it, you pronounce п normally, then є: [pʲiɛʃ].
Can you drop ти and just say Що п’єш?
- Yes. In Ukrainian, personal pronouns are often optional.
- Що п’єш? is perfectly natural in casual speech and still means “What are you drinking?”
How would you make this question more polite or formal?
- Use the formal/plural pronoun ви and the corresponding verb form:
Що ви п’єте? - Conjugation for ви (2nd-person plural/formal) from пити: я п’ю, ти п’єш, ви п’єте.
Is word order flexible in Ukrainian questions like this?
- Yes, word order can shift for emphasis:
- Ти що п’єш? (adds a slight “as for you, what are you drinking?” nuance)
- Що п’єш ти? (very marked, poetic or childish)
- The most neutral is Що ти п’єш?
How might someone answer Що ти п’єш? in Ukrainian?
Common responses use я п’ю… plus the drink:
- Я п’ю воду. (I’m drinking water.)
- Я п’ю чай. (I’m drinking tea.)
- Я п’ю каву. (I’m drinking coffee.)
- Я п’ю сік. (I’m drinking juice.)