Зима довга та холодна.

Winter is long and cold.

Breakdown of Зима довга та холодна.

• холодний: cold
• довгий: long
• та: and
• зима: the winter

Questions & Answers about Зима довга та холодна.

Why are there no articles like a or the before зима?

Ukrainian does not have definite or indefinite articles. English uses a/an and the, but in Ukrainian you simply omit them. Context or additional words (e.g., ця зима – “this winter”) indicate specificity instead.

What case, gender, and number is the noun зима, and how do we know?

• Case: nominative (the basic dictionary form, used for subjects)
• Gender: feminine (most Ukrainian nouns ending in -а are feminine)
• Number: singular
Because it names the thing doing the (implied) action or state, it stays in nominative singular feminine.

How do the adjectives довга and холодна agree with зима?

In Ukrainian, adjectives must match the noun in three features:

1. Gender (feminine)
2. Number (singular)
3. Case (nominative)
   The ending -а on both довга (“long”) and холодна (“cold”) reflects feminine singular nominative agreement with зима.

Why is the conjunction та used instead of і (or й) to mean “and”?

Both та and і mean “and,” but:

• та is often chosen before a consonant-initial word for euphony.
• It also carries a slightly more literary or descriptive feel when linking qualities.
• і is more neutral, and й is a shortened form of і used before vowels (e.g., йому).

Do you need a comma before та when joining adjectives?

No. When two coordinate adjectives are linked by та, you do not place a comma:
Зима довга та холодна.
Commas would appear only if you had a list of three or more items, or if you omitted the conjunction (e.g., довга, холодна, сувора зима).

Where is the verb “is” in this sentence?

In present-tense Ukrainian, the copula є (“is/are”) is normally omitted. The sentence literally reads “Winter [is] long and cold.” You only include є for emphasis or in more complex constructions.

How would you say “Winter was long and cold” in Ukrainian?

You add the past-tense form of the verb “to be” for feminine singular, була:
Зима була довга та холодна.

Can you change the word order, for example to put adjectives before the noun?

Yes. Word order in Ukrainian is flexible. You could say:
Довга та холодна зима.
This fronted form gives a slightly more poetic or emphatic tone, but the basic meaning remains the same.

How do you pronounce довга and холодна, and where is the stress?

• довга – [ˈdɔu̯ɦa], stress on the first syllable
• холодна – [xoˈlɔdna], stress on the second syllable