Він намазує масло на хліб.

He spreads butter on bread.

Breakdown of Він намазує масло на хліб.

• на: on
• він: he
• хліб: the bread
• намазувати: to spread
• масло: the butter

Questions & Answers about Він намазує масло на хліб.

What aspect and tense is the verb намазує, and how would you say He spread butter on the bread to show completion?

намазує is present tense, imperfective aspect of намазувати. Imperfective aspect describes ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions. For a single completed action (perfective), switch to намазати and past tense:
Він намазав масло на хліб — He spread butter on the bread

Why is масло not preceded by any preposition, and what case is it in?

масло is the direct object of намазує. Direct objects appear without a preposition in Ukrainian and take the accusative case. Since масло is neuter and inanimate, its accusative form is identical to the nominative: масло.

Why do we say на хліб with на + accusative, rather than using the locative case (на хлібі)?

на + accusative expresses direction or target (onto something). Here butter is being spread onto bread, so на хліб (Accusative) is correct. The locative (на хлібі) would mean “where” (butter lies on the bread), describing a static position.

Could we switch the word order and say Він намазує хліб маслом, and would the meaning change?

Yes. Він намазує хліб маслом treats хліб as the direct object (Accusative) and маслом in the Instrumental case to indicate the substance used. Meaning stays He spreads butter on bread, though the original order (масло as object, на хліб) highlights the butter being spread, while the inverted order emphasizes the bread receiving it.

Is the pronoun Він necessary in this sentence, or can it be omitted?

In Ukrainian, subject pronouns can often be omitted because verb endings convey person and number. Він is not strictly necessary. You can say Намазує масло на хліб and the listener will understand that someone (he) is performing the action, especially if context is clear.

Where is the stress in the word намазує, and how do you pronounce it?

The stress falls on the third syllable: на-ма-ЗУ-є. Pronounce it [na-ma-ZU-ye], with a clear emphasis on зу and a slight glide on є at the end.

How do you conjugate намазувати in the present tense for all persons?

Present-tense conjugation of намазувати (imperfective):
1st person singular: я намазую
2nd person singular: ти намазуєш
3rd person singular: він/вона/воно намазує
1st person plural: ми намазуємо
2nd person plural: ви намазуєте
3rd person plural: вони намазують

Why doesn’t Ukrainian have articles here like a or the, and how is that expressed in translation?

Ukrainian has no definite or indefinite articles. Specificity or generality is inferred from context or word order:

• Намазує масло на хліб can mean He spreads butter on bread (general action).
• If context demands, you render the in English: He spreads the butter on the bread, but Ukrainian still omits an article.

Are there other verbs for “spread” in Ukrainian, like маже or змащує, and what’s the difference?

Common synonyms include:
• мазати/маже — to smear or coat a surface, general.
• змащувати/змащує — to grease, often interchangeable with намазувати, slightly more formal.
• намазувати/намазує — to spread evenly over a surface.
All three can work in this context:
• Він мажe масло на хліб
• Він змащує масло на хліб
• Він намазує масло на хліб
Nuances are minor; choice depends on style or regional preference.