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Questions & Answers about Книга цікава й корисна.
What is the function of й in this sentence?
й is a coordinating conjunction equivalent to and in English. It links the two adjectives цікава (interesting) and корисна (useful).
Why is it й instead of і?
In Ukrainian, the conjunction і changes to й when it follows a word that ends in a vowel (here цікава ends in -а). This avoids having two vowel sounds in a row (цікава і корисна → цікава й корисна).
Why do the adjectives end in -а?
The noun книга (‘book’) is feminine, singular, nominative. Both adjectives must agree with it in gender, number, and case, so they take the feminine singular nominative ending -а.
Where is the verb “to be”? Why is there no є or is?
In Ukrainian, the present-tense copula (“is/am/are”) is usually omitted. You simply say Книга цікава й корисна instead of Книга є цікава й корисна.
Should there be a comma before й?
No. When two words are joined by the simple conjunction й, you do not place a comma between them.
How do you pronounce цікава й корисна, and where are the stresses?
Approximate pronunciation: [tsi-ˈka-va y ˈko-ris-na]. The stress falls on the second syllable of цікава and on the first syllable of корисна.
Can I use та instead of й? What’s the difference?
Yes. та also means and (e.g., Книга цікава та корисна). Unlike і/й, та never changes form to avoid vowel-hiatus and can feel slightly more formal or emphatic.
Does word order matter? Could I say Книга корисна й цікава?
You can swap the adjectives without changing the basic meaning: Книга корисна й цікава is perfectly acceptable. Adjective order in Ukrainian lists is relatively flexible.