Breakdown of Дзеркало висить над ліжком у коридорі.
у
in
ліжко
the bed
дзеркало
the mirror
висіти
to hang
над
above
коридор
the hallway
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Questions & Answers about Дзеркало висить над ліжком у коридорі.
Why is над followed by ліжком instead of ліжко?
The preposition над (above) requires the instrumental case to indicate location. The neuter noun ліжко (bed) in the instrumental singular becomes ліжком (stem ліжк- + -ом).
Why is у коридорі used here instead of в коридорі?
Both в and у mean “in,” but Ukrainian uses them for euphony:
- в goes before vowel-initial words (e.g. в Україні)
- у goes before most consonant-initial words (e.g. у коридорі)
In everyday speech you might still hear в коридорі, but у коридорі is more common for this word.
What case is коридорі, and why?
After the locative preposition у (in), nouns take the locative (also called prepositional) case. For masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the singular locative ending is -і, so коридор → коридорі.
Why is the verb висить used, and how is it formed?
The verb висіти means “to hang” (in a fixed position). In the present tense, third person singular, it’s висить (stem вис- + ending -ить). Stress falls on the second syllable: висИть.
What’s the difference between над and понад?
- над is the basic spatial preposition “above.”
- понад can also mean “above” in space but is frequently used for “more than” or “over” in comparisons.
To express simple spatial location, над is the usual choice.
Could the word order be changed without changing the meaning?
Yes. Ukrainian allows flexible word order. Besides Дзеркало висить над ліжком у коридорі, you can say:
- У коридорі над ліжком висить дзеркало.
- Над ліжком у коридорі висить дзеркало.
All versions mean “A/the mirror hangs above the bed in the corridor.”
Why are there no words for “a” or “the” in this sentence?
Ukrainian does not use definite or indefinite articles. Context—word order, intonation or previous mention—tells you whether it’s “a mirror” or “the mirror.”
How would you ask “Where does the mirror hang?” in Ukrainian?
You would say Де висить дзеркало?
To answer: Над ліжком у коридорі.