Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Ніхто не думає, що понеділок складний.

In Ukrainian, negative pronouns such as ніхто (“no one”) require the verb to carry не as well. Ukrainian uses negative concord (double negation): ніхто + не думає reinforce the negative meaning together.

Why is there a comma before що in this sentence?

In Ukrainian, a comma separates the main clause from a subordinate clause. Since що introduces the subordinate clause “що понеділок складний”, you place a comma before що to mark that boundary.

What is the role of що here?

що is the subordinating conjunction equivalent to English that. It links the main clause (Ніхто не думає) to the subordinate clause (понеділок складний).

Why is there no verb for “is” between понеділок and складний?

In present-tense Ukrainian, the copula є (“is”) is usually omitted. You convey “Monday is difficult” simply by placing the subject (понеділок) followed by its predicate adjective (складний) without an explicit “is.”

What case is понеділок in, and why is складний also in that case?

Both понеділок (Monday) and складний (difficult) are in the nominative case. When you drop the copula in the present tense, the predicate adjective agrees with its subject in case (nominative), gender (masculine), and number (singular).

Could I add the copula є to say понеділок є складним? What changes?

Yes. If you include є, the predicate adjective typically shifts to the instrumental case:
• понеділок є складним
Here складним is instrumental singular masculine. Omitting є keeps the adjective in the nominative as in the original.

Why does складний end with -ий?

The ending -ий marks a masculine singular adjective in the nominative case. It agrees with понеділок, which is masculine singular nominative.

Why is понеділок written in lowercase? In English we capitalize days of the week.

In Ukrainian, days of the week are common nouns, not proper nouns, so they are not capitalized (unless they begin a sentence).

Why is the adjective складний placed after the noun понеділок, instead of before it?

Here складний functions as a predicate adjective, not an attributive modifier. In predicative constructions, the noun usually precedes its adjective: понеділок складний (“Monday is difficult”).

Can I drop що as we sometimes drop “that” in English: “No one thinks Monday is hard”?

Informally, some speakers omit що in rapid speech (Ніхто не думає, понеділок складний), but in standard written Ukrainian you should keep що to clearly mark the subordinate clause.

Could I use another verb instead of думає, like вважає?

Yes. вважає means “considers” or “believes” and is slightly more formal/objective.
Example: Ніхто не вважає, що понеділок складний.

Are there synonyms for складний I could use to talk about Monday?

Yes. Common alternatives include:
• важкий (“heavy,” “tough”)
• тяжкий (“arduous,” “burdensome”)
e.g. Ніхто не думає, що понеділок важкий.