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Questions & Answers about Собака бігає швидше.
Why is there no article before собака?
Ukrainian has no definite or indefinite articles like the or a. Nouns stand alone and their definiteness is inferred from context or other words (e.g. demonstratives like ця “this”).
What is the gender and case of собака, and why is it in the nominative?
собака is a feminine noun ending in -а. It’s in the nominative singular because it functions as the subject of the sentence (the one performing the action).
What does бігає mean, and why this form?
бігає is the 3rd person singular present tense of the imperfective verb бігати (“to run”). It translates as “he/she/it runs” or “is running,” indicating an ongoing or habitual action.
Why is the imperfective aspect used here instead of a perfective form?
The imperfective aspect (бігати) describes a repeated, continuous, or habitual action (“runs regularly”). Perfective verbs like побігти don’t have a true present tense—побіжить actually means “will run” (future), not “is running.”
How do you pronounce Собака бігає швидше?
Approximately:
so-BAH-ka bee-GAH-ye SHVYD-she
Stress falls on the second syllable of собака, the second of бігає, and the first of швидше.
What does швидше mean, and how is it formed?
швидше means “faster.” It’s the comparative form of the adverb швидко (“fast”). In Ukrainian, you typically add -ше (or -ій for some adjectives/adverbs) to form the comparative.
Does швидше ever change form to agree with собака?
No. Adverbs in Ukrainian are invariable; they never change for gender, number, or case.
How would you say “The dog runs faster than the cat”?
You can say Собака бігає швидше за кота. Here за governs the accusative (кота). Alternatively, you might hear Собака бігає швидше, ніж кіт, using ніж before the noun in nominative.
Is the word order fixed in Ukrainian, like SVO here?
Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible. SVO (Собака–бігає–швидше) is the neutral, most common pattern. You can rearrange words for emphasis, though the nuance or focus may change.
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