Я пишу лист за допомогою комп’ютера.

I write a letter using a computer.

Breakdown of Я пишу лист за допомогою комп’ютера.

• я: I
• комп’ютер: the computer
• писати: to write
• лист: the letter
• за допомогою: using

Questions & Answers about Я пишу лист за допомогою комп’ютера.

Why is лист not листа in this sentence?

Because лист is a masculine inanimate noun whose nominative and accusative forms coincide. In Ukrainian, the direct object of a transitive verb takes the accusative, but for inanimate masculine nouns ending in a consonant, that form looks exactly like the nominative.

Which case is комп’ютера in, and why?

Комп’ютера is in the genitive singular. It follows the set phrase за допомогою (“with the help of”), where допомогою is instrumental, and the thing “helped by” is expressed in the genitive. Literally, “by help of (the) computer.”

What exactly does за допомогою mean, and how does it work grammatically?

За допомогою means with the help of or by means of. Grammatically it’s:

• за (preposition) +
• допомогою (the noun допомога, “help,” in the instrumental case) +
• an object of that help in the genitive case (here, комп’ютера).

Can I say Я пишу лист комп’ютером instead of за допомогою комп’ютера?

Yes. If you simply want to indicate the instrument, you can use the instrumental case directly:

• Я пишу лист комп’ютером.
  This is shorter and equally correct.

Why is there an apostrophe in комп’ютера?

Ukrainian orthography uses an apostrophe to separate certain labial consonants (б, п, в, м, ф) from the following iotated vowels (я, ю, є, ї). It shows that the vowel retains its /j/ sound and the consonant remains hard.

Why is the verb пишу used here instead of something like написую?

Пишу is the imperfective present tense of писати (“to write”), indicating an ongoing or habitual action. Написати is perfective (“to have written/ to write (to completion)”), so in future tense you’d say я напишу лист (“I will write the letter”).

Could I use через комп’ютер instead of за допомогою комп’ютера?

You can, but the nuance changes.

• через комп’ютер literally means “via/through the computer,” often implying an electronic medium or network.
• за допомогою комп’ютера emphasizes the computer as the tool or means by which you physically write.

How is the stress distributed in комп’ютера?

The stress falls on the second syllable: kom-ˈpju-te-ra.

Can I reorder the sentence, for example За допомогою комп’ютера я пишу лист?

Yes. Ukrainian word order is relatively flexible. Fronting за допомогою комп’ютера simply puts extra emphasis on the instrument. The meaning stays the same.

Could you break down the sentence word by word?

• Я – “I” (nominative singular pronoun)
• пишу – “am writing” (1st person singular, imperfective present of писати)
• лист – “letter” (accusative singular of a masculine inanimate noun; identical to nominative)
• за допомогою – “with the help of” (preposition за
  • допомога in instrumental)
• комп’ютера – “computer” (genitive singular, object of the “help”)