Breakdown of Я вмикаю телевізор пультом, щоб подивитися новини.
я
I
щоб
in order to
дивитися
to watch
вмикати
to turn on
телевізор
the television
пульт
the remote
новини
the news
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Questions & Answers about Я вмикаю телевізор пультом, щоб подивитися новини.
Why is вмикаю in the imperfective aspect and not the perfective увімкну or увімкнув?
вмикаю comes from the imperfective verb вмикати and describes the process or habitual action “I am turning on” or “I turn on.” The perfective counterparts (увімкнути, увімкну, увімкнув) signal a completed action (“I will turn on,” “I turned on” once). Here you’re focusing on the act of switching on right now or as a routine, so the imperfective is appropriate.
How can пультом appear without any preposition? Doesn’t Ukrainian need something like “with a remote”?
пультом is the instrumental case of пульт (remote). In Ukrainian, the instrumental case alone often carries the meaning “with/by means of.” So вмикаю телевізор пультом literally means “I turn on the TV with (by means of) the remote.” If you wanted to add a preposition, you could say за допомогою пульта, but it isn’t required.
What is the function of щоб before подивитися?
щоб is a conjunction introducing a purpose clause, equivalent to “in order to.” It links the main action (turning on the TV) with the intended result (watching the news). Without щоб, the connection of purpose would be lost.
Why is подивитися in the perfective aspect instead of the imperfective дивитися?
In a purpose clause introduced by щоб, Ukrainian typically uses the perfective aspect to express a single, bounded action you intend to complete. подивитися means “to watch (once, fully) the news.” Using the imperfective щоб дивитися would imply an ongoing or habitual watching, which sounds odd for “I turn on the TV in order to watch the news.”
What case and number is новини, and why is it plural?
новини is the feminine plural form in the nominative/accusative case. Here it’s the direct object of подивитися. Ukrainian, like English, often treats “news” as a plural concept, so новини remains in the plural form.
Can I omit the subject pronoun я at the beginning?
Yes. Ukrainian verb endings carry person and number, so the subject pronoun is often dropped. You can naturally say Вмикаю телевізор пультом, щоб подивитися новини and it still means “I’m turning on the TV with the remote to watch the news.”
How do you pronounce щоб and пульт?
щоб is pronounced roughly like [ʃtɔb] (“shtob”). The letter щ here sounds like “sh” plus a soft “t.”
пульт is pronounced [pult] or [pʊlt], with a short “u” as in “pull” and a clear final “t.”
Where is the stress in телевізор and вмикаю?
In телевізор the stress falls on the third syllable: te-le-VÍ-zor [telɛˈvizɔr].
In вмикаю the stress is on the second syllable: v-my-KÁ-ju [wmɪˈkajʊ].