Breakdown of Я розтоплюю шоколад на плиті.
я
I
на
on
шоколад
the chocolate
плита
the stove
розтоплювати
to melt
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Questions & Answers about Я розтоплюю шоколад на плиті.
What part of speech is розтоплюю and what does it tell me about the action?
розтоплюю is the first-person singular present-tense form of the imperfective verb розтоплювати (“to melt”). It indicates that the action is ongoing—“I am melting.”
What’s the difference between the imperfective розтоплюю and the perfective розтоплю?
- розтоплюю (imperfective) describes an ongoing or repeated process: “I am melting” or “I melt (regularly).”
- розтоплю (perfective) describes a single, completed action in the future or past: “I will melt” (to completion) or “I melted.”
Examples:
• Future imperfective: Я буду розтоплювати шоколад (“I will be melting chocolate”).
• Simple future perfective: Я розтоплю шоколад (“I will melt chocolate” [to completion]).
Why is плиті in the locative case?
The preposition на takes the locative case when indicating a static location (where something happens). Плита (stove) becomes плиті in the locative to mean “on the stove.”
Why couldn’t we say на плиту?
Using на плиту (accusative) would imply movement “onto the stove” (e.g., “I put the chocolate onto the stove”). Here you only want to indicate location (“on the stove”), so you use the locative плиті.
Why does шоколад stay the same in the accusative case?
Шоколад is a masculine inanimate noun. In Ukrainian, masculine inanimate nouns have an accusative form identical to the nominative, so шоколад remains шоколад as the direct object.
How is розтоплюю formed morphologically?
Breakdown:
• Prefix роз- (often adds the sense of “thoroughly” or “apart”)
• Root топл- (“melt”)
• Thematic vowel -ю-
• Personal ending -ю (1 sg)
Combine → роз- + топл- + ю + ю = розтоплюю.
What nuance does the prefix роз- add to топлюю?
The prefix роз- implies thoroughness or breaking apart, so розтоплюю suggests melting something completely or apart, rather than just warming it slightly.
Where is the stress in розтоплюю and how do I pronounce it?
Stress is on the -лю- syllable: roztop-LYU-yu. In IPA notation: [rɔztɔˈplʲujʊ].
Why don’t we use articles like “the” or “a” in Ukrainian here?
Ukrainian has no definite or indefinite articles. Context alone tells you whether it’s “a stove,” “the stove,” or just the general idea of “stove.”