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Questions & Answers about Я закриваю вікно ввечері.
Why is the verb закриваю in the imperfective aspect instead of the perfective закрию?
Ukrainian verbs come in pairs: imperfective (ongoing, habitual) and perfective (completed, one-off). закриваю is imperfective present tense, so it expresses a process or habitual action (“I close / I am closing”). If you used the perfective закрию, you’d mean “I will close (once)” in the future.
Is закриваю a present-tense form or a future-tense form?
It’s present tense. Ukrainian does not have a separate continuous aspect; the imperfective present covers both simple and continuous senses. So закриваю means “I close” or “I am closing” (present), not future.
Does Я закриваю вікно ввечері imply a habitual action or a single event?
Because закриваю is imperfective present, it usually implies a habitual or repeated action—“I (usually) close the window in the evening.” For a single future event, you’d say Я закрию вікно ввечері.
Why does вікно look the same in nominative and accusative cases?
вікно is a neuter, inanimate noun. In Ukrainian, inanimate neuter nouns have identical nominative and accusative forms in the singular, so вікно remains вікно when it’s the direct object.
Why aren’t there any articles (like “the” or “a”) before вікно?
Ukrainian does not use definite or indefinite articles. Context or demonstratives (e.g., це вікно “this window”) convey specificity instead.
What is ввечері, and what case is it?
ввечері means “in the evening.” It’s the locative (prepositional) form of вечір with the preposition в (“in”). Together, they form an adverbial phrase indicating time.
Why is it spelled ввечері with two в letters, and how do you pronounce that?
You’re combining the preposition в + the noun вечір (which begins with в). Written together, you get в+вечері = ввечері. Pronunciation merges them: [ввɛчері], but in speech it sounds like a single prolonged [в].
Can I say увечері instead of ввечері?
Yes. Both ввечері and увечері are used. A common guideline is в before consonants and у before vowels, but many speakers use them interchangeably here. Both mean “in the evening.”
Where is the stress in закриваю вікно ввечері?
- закрива́ю (stress on ри)
- ві́кно (stress on ві)
- ввечері́ (stress on рі)
Can I move ввечері to a different position in the sentence?
Yes, Ukrainian word order is flexible. All of these are correct and simply shift emphasis:
• Ввечері я закриваю вікно.
• Я ввечері закриваю вікно.
• Я закриваю вікно ввечері.