Breakdown of Я знайшов номер паспорта в документі.
я
I
в
in
знайти
to find
документ
the document
номер паспорта
the passport number
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Questions & Answers about Я знайшов номер паспорта в документі.
What does the verb знайшов mean, and what does its aspect tell us about the action?
Знайшов is the masculine past-tense, perfective form of знайти (“to find”). The perfective aspect indicates a completed action (“I found”), not an ongoing or habitual process.
Why is номер паспорта used, and what case is паспорта in?
Номер is the direct object in the accusative case (for inanimate masculine nouns, accusative looks like nominative). Паспорта is in the genitive case, showing possession—literally “number of the passport.” In Ukrainian, the genitive links two nouns when one belongs to or comes from the other.
Could I say паспортний номер instead of номер паспорта?
Yes. Паспортний номер uses an adjective form (паспортний) before номер and is common in official contexts. Both phrases mean “passport number,” but номер паспорта is a more straightforward noun-to-noun construction.
What case is в документі, and why is it used here?
В документі uses the locative (sometimes called the prepositional) case, which answers “where?” In this sentence, it means “in the document.” The preposition в triggers the locative to indicate location.
When do you use в vs. у before a noun?
Ukrainian has two forms of the preposition “in”: в and у. They mean the same thing; you choose the one that’s easier to pronounce before the next word. Generally, use у before words beginning with a cluster of consonants (e.g. у школі) and в elsewhere (e.g. в документі).
Why are there no words for “a” or “the” in this sentence?
Ukrainian does not have articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.” Definiteness and indefiniteness are understood from context, so no extra words are needed.
How would a female speaker say this sentence?
She would use the feminine past form знайшла instead of знайшов:
Я знайшла номер паспорта в документі.
Is the word order in Я знайшов номер паспорта в документі fixed?
Word order in Ukrainian is quite flexible. You can move в документі to the front for emphasis:
Я в документі знайшов номер паспорта.
The basic meaning stays the same, though the focus shifts slightly.
Where is the stress in но́мер and паспорта́?
– Но́мер is stressed on the first syllable (NO-mer).
– Паспорта́ is stressed on the second syllable (pas-POR-ta).