Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Ukrainian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Цей урок складний.
What part of speech is цей, and how does it change to match the noun it modifies?
цей is a demonstrative pronoun (functioning like an adjective) meaning “this.” It agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. In the nominative case it appears as:
- masculine: цей
- feminine: ця
- neuter: це
- plural: ці
What is урок, and why is it in the nominative singular here?
урок is a masculine noun (“lesson”). It’s in the nominative singular because it’s the subject of the sentence. In Ukrainian, the nominative case typically marks the subject.
What part of speech is складний, and why does it end in -ний?
складний is an adjective meaning “difficult” or “complex.” It consists of the stem складн- and the masculine nominative singular ending -ий, which appears as -ний because the stem ends in дн-. Adjectives agree with the noun they modify, so here it matches a masculine noun in the nominative singular.
Why isn’t there a word for “is” in Цей урок складний?
In Ukrainian, the present-tense copula (“to be”) is usually omitted. You simply state the subject and predicate adjective or noun, and it’s understood as “This lesson is difficult.”
How would you negate the sentence to say “This lesson is not difficult”?
Place не before the adjective: Цей урок не складний.
How do you form the question “Is this lesson difficult?” in Ukrainian?
You can either leave the word order and add a question intonation:
- Цей урок складний? Or use the question particle чи:
- Чи складний цей урок?
How do you say “These lessons are difficult” in Ukrainian?
Switch all elements to the plural nominative: Ці уроки складні. (Here цей→ці, урок→уроки, складний→складні.)
Where are the stressed syllables in Цей урок складний?
- цей – monosyllabic, naturally stressed
- урок – stress on the second syllable: у-ROK
- складний – stress on the second syllable: склад-NYI
What’s the difference between складний and важкий when you want to say “difficult”?
Both can translate as “difficult,” but there’s a nuance:
- складний emphasizes complexity or many parts (a complex problem, multi-step task).
- важкий literally means “heavy” and conveys a sense of burden or hardship (a heavy load, emotionally or physically difficult). For academic or intellectual contexts, складний is more natural.