Breakdown of Після сну я йду під душ, беру мило і вмикаю воду.
я
I
вода
the water
йти
to go
і
and
після
after
під
under
сон
the sleep
душ
the shower
брати
to take
мило
the soap
вмикати
to turn on
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Questions & Answers about Після сну я йду під душ, беру мило і вмикаю воду.
Why is сну used here instead of сон?
Because the preposition після always requires the genitive case. The nominative “сон” (sleep) becomes “сну” in the genitive, so після сну literally means “after (the) sleep.”
Why does під душ use під instead of в or до?
In Ukrainian, the idiom йти під душ (literally “go under the shower”) is the most natural way to say “to take a shower.”
- під
- accusative (or indeclinable noun) expresses motion toward a position “under” something.
- While you could say йти до душу, that feels a bit clumsy; the set phrase is йти під душ.
Why isn’t there an ending on душ (e.g. душем or душу)?
The word душ is a loanword from other Slavic languages and is typically indeclinable in colloquial Ukrainian, so it stays душ in both accusative (motion toward) and instrumental (location under). In more formal registers you may sometimes hear під душем, but in everyday speech під душ is standard.
Why are all the verbs (йду, беру, вмикаю) in the present tense even though it’s a sequence of actions?
This is a description of a routine or immediate plan. In Ukrainian (as in English), the present tense can describe habitual actions (“I go, I take, I turn on”) or things you’re about to do right now (“I’m going, I’m taking, I’m switching on”).
Why is there only one і (and) before вмикаю воду, instead of before each verb?
Ukrainian lets you link a series of verbs with a single coordinating conjunction. Here the comma separates the first two actions, and і ties in the final one. You could repeat і (“йду під душ і беру мило і вмикаю воду”) but it’s more natural to use it only once before the last item.
Could I say приймаю душ instead of йду під душ?
Yes. Приймати душ (to take/receive a shower) is more formal or bookish. Йти під душ is colloquial and literally focuses on “going under the shower.”
What’s the difference between вмикаю воду and включаю воду?
Both verbs mean “to turn on,” but:
- вмикати is considered the standard Ukrainian verb.
- включати is widely understood (a calque from Russian), but can be seen as a Russicism.
In careful Ukrainian you’ll often prefer вмикати.
Why isn’t the pronoun я repeated before each verb?
Ukrainian verb endings clearly show the subject (“-у” in йду, беру, вмикаю means “I”). Once you state я йду, you don’t need to repeat я before every verb in the series.