Breakdown of Я варю кукурудзу та картоплю в каструлі з водою.
я
I
вода
the water
в
in
з
with
та
and
каструля
the pot
варити
to boil
кукурудза
the corn
картопля
the potato
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Questions & Answers about Я варю кукурудзу та картоплю в каструлі з водою.
What does варю mean here and what tense/aspect is it?
The verb варити means “to boil.” варю is the 1st person singular present tense, so it translates as “I boil” or “I am boiling.” It’s an imperfective verb, focusing on the ongoing action rather than its completion.
Why is я used before the verb? Do I have to include it?
In Ukrainian, subject pronouns like я (“I”) are optional because the verb ending -ю already shows the subject. You can say Варю кукурудзу… and it still means “I boil…” Including я adds clarity or emphasis, but it isn’t strictly necessary.
Why do кукурудзу and картоплю end in -у? What case is that?
Both кукурудза and картопля are feminine nouns ending in -а/-я. As direct objects (accusative case) they take the ending -у/-ю when they’re inanimate. So:
- кукурудза → кукурудзу
- картопля → картоплю
Why use та instead of і for “and”?
Both та and і mean “and.” і is the general word for linking items. та is also correct and often used when connecting exactly two elements or to achieve a certain rhythm or style. You could say either кукурудза і картопля or кукурудза та картопля.
Why is the preposition в used before каструлі, and when would you use у instead?
Both в and у mean “in.” The common convention is:
- в before words beginning with a vowel,
- у before words beginning with a consonant.
Since каструлі starts with к, you’d normally use у каструлі. Some speakers still say в каструлі by analogy or personal preference, but у каструлі follows the standard rule.
What case is каструлі in and why?
каструлі is the locative case (often called the prepositional case in Ukrainian), singular. The preposition в/у (“in”) requires the locative case to indicate location inside something.
Why is з водою in the instrumental case, and what does it express?
The preposition з (“with”) takes the instrumental case when expressing accompaniment or means. вода (nominative) becomes водою (instrumental), so з водою literally means “with water,” indicating you’re using water to boil the vegetables.
Can the word order be changed? For example, В каструлі я варю кукурудзу та картоплю?
Yes. Ukrainian allows flexible word order for emphasis. Placing в каструлі at the front highlights the location:
“В каструлі я варю кукурудзу та картоплю.”
You could also move я forward or other elements, depending on what you want to stress.