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Questions & Answers about Я мию чашку після чаю.
Why is the verb мию in this form and how is it formed?
It’s the 1st person singular present tense of the imperfective verb мити (to wash). To conjugate, remove -ти and add -ю for я: ми + ю = мию.
Why is there no article before чашку?
Ukrainian does not have definite or indefinite articles (like “the” or “a” in English). Nouns stand alone without articles.
Why does чашка change to чашку?
In this sentence, чашка is the direct object of мию, so it takes the accusative case. Feminine nouns ending in -а become -у in the singular accusative when inanimate.
What case does після чаю use and why is it чаю and not чай?
The preposition після (after) always requires the genitive case. The genitive singular of чай is чаю.
What’s the difference between чаю and чаєм?
Чаю is the genitive form (used after genitive-taking prepositions like після). Чаєм is the instrumental form (used for “with tea” or other contexts requiring instrumental).
Can you drop the pronoun я and just say мию чашку після чаю?
Yes. The verb ending -ю already shows it’s 1st person singular, so я can be omitted: (Я) мию чашку після чаю is completely normal.
How would you change this sentence to talk about the past action “I washed the cup after tea”?
Use the past tense of мити. A male speaker would say Я мив чашку після чаю, a female speaker Я мила чашку після чаю. You can also drop я: Мив/Мила чашку після чаю.
Why use the imperfective aspect мию instead of the perfective помию?
The imperfective мию focuses on the ongoing or habitual action (I wash / am washing). The perfective помию would emphasize completion (I will wash / have washed the cup).
How is Я мию чашку після чаю pronounced and where is the stress?
It’s pronounced [ja ˈmɪju ˈtʃɑʃku ˈtʃɑju]. Stress falls on the first syllable of мию, чашку, and чаю.