У мене є десять котів.

I have ten cats.

Breakdown of У мене є десять котів.

• я: I
• мати: to have
• кіт: the cat
• у: in
• десять: ten

Questions & Answers about У мене є десять котів.

What does У мене є literally translate to, and how does it correspond to English I have?

Breakdown: у = “at,” мене = “me” (genitive), є = “is/exists.” So literally “at me is,” which functions as “I have” in English.

Why is є needed? Can I say just У мене десять котів?

є is the existential verb “to be.” In colloquial speech you can drop it: У мене десять котів is understood as “I have ten cats,” but including є is more grammatically neutral or formal.

What case is котів, and why do we use this form after десять?

котів is the genitive plural of кіт (“cat”). In Ukrainian, numbers from five upward (5–20, and multiples of 10) require the counted noun to be in the genitive plural.

How do numerals affect noun cases in Ukrainian? (e.g., for 1, 2–4, 5+)

1: use nominative singular (1 кіт)
2–4: use nominative plural (2 коти, 3 коти, 4 коти)
5 and above: use genitive plural (5 котів, 10 котів)

Is десять inflected for case or gender here?

No. Cardinal numerals five and above (including десять) remain unchanged regardless of the case, gender, or animacy of the noun they quantify.

Could I use Я маю десять котів instead, and is there any difference?

Yes, Я маю десять котів (“I have ten cats”) is grammatically correct. Native speakers often prefer У мене є in casual speech; Я маю sounds more formal or bookish.

How would you ask “Do you have ten cats?” in Ukrainian?

Invert the pronoun:
Informal: У тебе є десять котів?
Formal or plural “you”: У вас є десять котів?

What is the pronunciation (stress) of десять котів?

The stress is on the first syllable of десять (DEH-syatʹ) and on the second syllable of котів (ko-TEEV). Phonetically: [ˈdɛsʲɐtʲ koˈtiv].