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Questions & Answers about Я купив новий ноутбук.
What is купив in terms of tense, aspect, gender and number? How would you form it for feminine, neuter and plural subjects?
купив is the perfective past tense, masculine singular form of the verb купити (to buy). To change it:
- Feminine singular: купила
- Neuter singular: купило
- Plural (all genders): купили
Why is there no preposition before новий ноутбук and what case is it in?
новий ноутбук is the direct object of the verb, so it takes the accusative case without a preposition. Since ноутбук is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative singular form is identical to the nominative (новий ноутбук).
Why does the adjective новий end in -ий?
Adjectives in Ukrainian agree with their noun’s gender, number and case. Here ноутбук is masculine singular in the accusative case, so новий uses the standard masculine-singular nominative/accusative ending -ий.
Can you omit я in Я купив новий ноутбук?
Yes. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language, so if context makes the subject clear you can say Купив новий ноутбук without я.
What’s the difference between купив and купував?
- купив is perfective past: a completed action (“I bought”).
- купував is imperfective past: an ongoing, habitual or repeated action (“I was buying” or “I used to buy”).
Where do you put the stress in купив новий ноутбук?
- купив: the stress is on the second syllable (ку-пи́в)
- но́вий: on the first syllable (но́-вий)
- но́утбук: on the first syllable (но́-утбук)
How do you transliterate Я купив новий ноутбук into the Latin alphabet?
A common transliteration is Ya kupyv novyi noutbuk.
Is ноутбук considered a loanword, and are there Ukrainian alternatives?
Yes, ноутбук is a borrowing from English “notebook.” Alternatives include:
- лептоп (another English borrowing)
- портативний комп’ютер (“portable computer”)