Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вона шукає гаманець у кишенях штанів. - She is looking for the wallet in the pockets of the pants.

Вона — nominative singular (subject).
шукає — 3rd person singular present of шукати “to look for.”
гаманець — accusative singular masculine inanimate (direct object; for inanimate masculines, accusative = nominative).
у — preposition “in,” which governs the locative case.
кишенях — locative plural of кишеня “pocket” (because of у).
штанів — genitive plural of штани “pants,” showing possession: “pockets of the pants.”

Why is it гаманець and not гаманця?

Because гаманець is an inanimate masculine noun in the accusative. In Ukrainian, inanimate masculine nouns keep the nominative form in the accusative (hence гаманець). The form гаманця is genitive singular (e.g., нема гаманця) or accusative for animate nouns.

Why is it штанів and not штанах?

штанів is genitive plural, used to show possession after “pockets”: “the pockets of the pants” (кишені штанів).
штанах is locative plural and would mean “in the pants” (у штанах), which is a different location than “in the pockets.”

Why у and not в here? Can I say в кишенях?

в/у are euphonic variants of the same preposition “in.” Choose the one that sounds smoother:

After a vowel, many speakers prefer в to avoid a vowel-on-vowel clash (e.g., шукає в кишенях).
After a consonant, many prefer у to avoid heavy consonant clusters. Both are correct: у кишенях and в кишенях are acceptable.

What’s going on with the ending in кишенях?

It’s the locative plural of кишеня (“pocket”). Mini-paradigm:

Singular: nom кишеня, loc у кишені
Plural: nom кишені, gen кишень, loc у кишенях

Is штани always plural? How do I say “a pair of pants”?

Yes, штани is plural-only (pluralia tantum). To say “a pair of pants,” use пара штанів. Examples:

“in (some) pants” — у штанах
“of (these) pants” — штанів

Do I need to say “her” in Ukrainian? Where is “her (own)”?

Ukrainian often omits possessives when context makes ownership clear. If you want to stress that the pants are her own, use the reflexive possessive:

у кишенях своїх штанів = “in the pockets of her (own) pants.” If you use її (у кишенях її штанів), it typically means “her pants” but not necessarily the subject’s; it could refer to another woman in context. Свій removes that ambiguity.

Can I drop Вона?

Yes. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language. Шукає гаманець у кишенях штанів is grammatical. The verb ending -є marks 3rd person singular; context tells you if it’s “he,” “she,” or “it.”

How flexible is the word order, and what changes when I move parts around?

Word order is flexible and used for emphasis:

Neutral/new info at the end: Вона шукає гаманець у кишенях штанів.
Emphasis on place: У кишенях штанів вона шукає гаманець.
Focus on the object: Гаманець вона шукає у кишенях штанів. Meaning stays the same; the focus shifts.

How do I say this in the past and in the future?

Past (imperfective, process): Вона шукала гаманець у кишенях штанів.
Future (imperfective, process): Вона шукатиме гаманець… or Вона буде шукати гаманець…
If she eventually found it (perfective): Вона знайшла гаманець.

What’s the difference between шукати, пошукати, and знайти?

шукати (impf.): to look/search (process), no built-in endpoint.
пошукати (pf.): to search for a while, try searching (limited duration/attempt).
знайти (pf.): to find (result achieved). Examples: Вона шукала… (was looking), Вона пошукала… (she had a look/searched a bit), Вона знайшла… (she found it).

Can I say по кишенях instead of у кишенях?

Yes, по кишенях is common and implies rummaging around or searching through the pockets in a scattered way. Nuance:

у/в кишенях = location (“in the pockets”).
по кишенях = distribution/motion through (“through the pockets,” rummaging).

How do I specify which pockets (front/back, left/right)?

Use adjectives and singular/plural as needed:

у передніх кишенях штанів = in the front pockets
у задніх кишенях штанів = in the back pockets
у правій кишені / у лівій кишені штанів = in the right/left pocket
в задній кишені джинсів = in the back pocket of (her) jeans

Any pronunciation and stress tips for these words?

Вона́ — stress on the last syllable.
шука́є — stress on ка; ш like “sh,” г in Ukrainian is a voiced “h” sound [ɦ].
гамане́ць — stress on не́ць; ць is a soft “ts.”
кише́нях — stress on ше́; final х is a voiceless “kh” .
штані́в — stress on ів.