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Questions & Answers about Чия сорочка лежить на стільці?
Why is it чия and not чий/чиє/чиї?
Because чия agrees with the noun сорочка, which is feminine singular. The interrogative possessive pronoun changes for gender and number:
- masculine: чий зошит?
- feminine: чия книжка?
- neuter: чиє пальто?
- plural: чиї ключі?
What case is сорочка in, and why?
Nominative singular. Сорочка is the grammatical subject of лежить, and чия also stands in the nominative to agree with it.
What case is на стільці, and why not на стілець?
It’s locative singular: на + Locative is used for location (where something is). На + Accusative is used for direction (onto/into). Compare:
- Location: Сорочка лежить на стільці. (on the chair)
- Direction: Я кладу сорочку на стілець. (onto the chair)
Can I drop the verb and say Чия сорочка на стільці?
Yes, very natural. Ukrainian often omits є/is. With лежить, you highlight the posture (lying). Without it, you simply state location.
When should I use лежить vs є vs знаходиться?
- лежить: describes posture/position on a surface; most idiomatic here.
- є: existential “is”; usually omitted in the present tense unless you need emphasis/contrast.
- знаходиться: “is located”; formal or for places/objects in official style. For a shirt, it can sound heavy.
Why does стільці look plural? Is it plural here?
No. На стільці is locative singular of стілець. The form coincides with the nominative plural стільці, but the preposition на plus the meaning (location) makes it clear it’s locative singular.
How flexible is the word order?
Quite flexible. Most neutral is with the question word first:
- Чия сорочка лежить на стільці? (default)
- Чия сорочка на стільці? (also fine) Fronting the place for emphasis is possible: На стільці лежить чия сорочка?, but it sounds less neutral.
How do you pronounce it? Where is the stress?
- чия́ (chi-yá)
- соро́чка (so-róch-ka; ch like English ch in church)
- лежи́ть (le-zhýtʹ; zh like s in measure; stress on the last syllable)
- на стільці́ (na stilʹ-cí; soft l, stress on the last syllable)
Is чия related to the particle чи?
No. чия means “whose” (feminine singular). чи is a particle used for yes–no questions and also means “or.” Don’t confuse чия (one word) with чи я (two words), which means “whether I.”
How would the question change with a different noun gender or number?
- Masculine: Чий светр лежить на стільці?
- Neuter: Чиє пальто лежить на стільці?
- Plural: Чиї сорочки лежать на стільці? Note the verb agreement: singular лежить vs plural лежать.
How do I ask “On whose chair is the shirt lying?”
На чиєму стільці лежить сорочка? Here чиєму is the locative masculine form of чий, agreeing with стільці.
Is сорочка the right word for “shirt”?
Yes. Сорочка typically means a collared/dress shirt. Other common words:
- футбо́лка: T-shirt
- блу́зка: blouse Avoid the Russism рубашка in Ukrainian; use сорочка instead.
What verb should I use for other positions (standing, hanging, etc.)?
- лежить: lies (on a surface)
- стоїть: stands (upright objects, bottles, furniture)
- висить: hangs (on a hook/rail/back of a chair) Example: Сорочка висить на спинці стільця. (on the chair’s back)
How would you answer this question naturally?
- Це моя (сорочка). / Це його/її (сорочка).
- Це сорочка Марії. Short answers are fine in context: Моя. / Його. / Марії.
Do I need articles like “the” or “a” in Ukrainian?
No. Ukrainian has no articles. Context supplies the meaning of “a/the.”