Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Ukrainian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Треба пити воду щодня.
What does треба mean in this sentence?
треба is an impersonal modal verb meaning you need to or one must. It’s always used with an infinitive and does not change for person or number.
What’s the difference between треба and потрібно?
Both are impersonal modals meaning need to or it’s necessary to. The choice is largely stylistic: потрібно is slightly more formal or bookish, while треба is more colloquial. Both are followed by an infinitive.
Why is пити in the infinitive form instead of a conjugated form?
In impersonal constructions with треба (or потрібно), the main verb is always in the infinitive, because there is no explicit grammatical subject.
Why is воду used here instead of вода?
Because воду is the accusative case of the feminine noun вода (ending in -а). The direct object of пити takes the accusative, so вода → воду.
What’s the difference between щодня, щоденний, and кожен день?
- щодня is an adverb meaning daily or every day and modifies the verb.
- щоденний is an adjective, as in щоденний розпорядок (daily routine).
- кожен день is a noun phrase meaning each day, but here you would usually say кожного дня треба... (genitive) or use щодня instead for an adverbial function.
Why is the imperfective aspect пити used instead of a perfective verb like випити?
The imperfective aspect indicates habitual or repeated actions. Since you need to drink water every day regularly, you use пити. The perfective випити would imply completing the action once or at a specific moment.
Can the word order in Треба пити воду щодня be changed?
Yes, Ukrainian word order is quite flexible. You could say:
- Щодня треба пити воду
- Треба щодня пити воду
The default Треба пити воду щодня is neutral; fronting щодня adds emphasis on every day.