Breakdown of Варена кукурудза ніжна і солодка.
і
and
солодкий
sweet
кукурудза
the corn
варений
boiled
ніжний
tender
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Questions & Answers about Варена кукурудза ніжна і солодка.
What part of speech is варена, and why does it end with -а?
варена is the past passive participle of the verb варити (“to boil”) used as an adjective. Because кукурудза is a feminine noun in the nominative case, the participle takes the feminine singular ending -а to agree with it.
How can I tell that кукурудза is feminine?
Most Ukrainian nouns ending in -а or -я are feminine in the nominative case. Since кукурудза ends in -а, it’s classified as a feminine singular noun.
Why do the adjectives ніжна and солодка both end in -а?
Adjectives in Ukrainian must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Here they describe a feminine singular noun (кукурудза) in the nominative case, so both adjectives take the feminine singular ending -а.
Why is there no article (“the” or “a”) before Варена кукурудза?
Ukrainian has no definite or indefinite articles. You simply use the noun and any modifiers together. Варена кукурудза can be translated as “boiled corn,” “the boiled corn,” or “some boiled corn” depending on context.
What case is Варена кукурудза in, and how do you know?
It’s in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. The subject of a Ukrainian sentence typically appears in the nominative.
What does the conjunction і do here, and are there alternatives?
і means “and,” linking the two adjectives. You could also use та (more formal/literary) or й (before a vowel), but і is the most common in everyday speech.
Could I change the word order, and would it affect the meaning?
Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible. For emphasis you could say Ніжна і солодка варена кукурудза, placing the adjectives first. The overall meaning stays the same, though emphasis shifts to the adjectives.
Where is the stress in кукурудза and варена?
In кукурудза, the stress falls on the third syllable: ку-ку-РУ-д-за. In варена, the stress is on the second syllable: ва-РЕ-на.
Could I say відварена кукурудза instead of варена кукурудза?
Yes. відварена is the past passive participle of відварити (“to cook by boiling”) and emphasizes that the corn has been fully boiled. In everyday speech, however, варена is more commonly used for “boiled.”