У березні йде дощ.

It rains in March.

Breakdown of У березні йде дощ.

• у: in
• березень: March
• йде дощ: to rain

Questions & Answers about У березні йде дощ.

What does У березні mean, and why does березні end with -і?

It means in March. The word березень (March) is in the prepositional case, singular, which for most masculine nouns adds -і after the stem to indicate “in” or “at” for time and location.

Why is the preposition у used instead of в?

Ukrainian uses both у and в for “in.” Choice depends on euphony:

• Use у before a consonant cluster or to avoid two в-sounds clashing.
• Use в before a vowel.
  Although в березні isn’t wrong, у березні is more common in speech.

Why isn’t there an article like a or the before дощ?

Ukrainian has no articles. You simply use дощ (rain) without a or the, and context tells you whether it’s general or specific.

What case and role does дощ play in йде дощ?

Here дощ is in the nominative case because it’s the grammatical subject of the verb йде (to go). In weather expressions, precipitation words act like subjects: йде дощ = “rain goes” (i.e. “it’s raining”).

How do you express to rain in Ukrainian? Why is the verb йде used?

Ukrainian often uses the verb йти (to go) for precipitation:

• йде дощ — it’s raining
• йде сніг — it’s snowing
  Colloquially, there’s also the verb дощити (to rain): дощить, but йде дощ is more standard.

What tense is йде? Can it mean both “it’s raining now” and “it rains regularly”?

Йде is present tense. With a phrase like у березні, it describes a habitual or general fact (“it rains in March” as a recurring event). To emphasize a current action, you’d say зараз йде дощ (“it’s raining right now”).

How would you say “it was raining in March” or “it will rain in March”?

– Past tense: У березні йшов дощ (past masculine of йти)
– Future tense: У березні піде дощ (simple future of йти)
or У березні буде йти дощ (periphrastic future)