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Questions & Answers about У мене є пара нових кросівок.
Why does Ukrainian use the structure У мене є to mean “I have”? Is there another way to say it?
Ukrainian often expresses possession with the “have”-construction у/в + genitive + є, literally “at me there is.” So У мене є means “I have.”
You can also say Я маю (“I have”), which is correct and common, especially in writing. In everyday speech, У мене є is the most neutral for simple possession, while я маю also frequently means “I must” when followed by an infinitive (e.g., я маю зробити = “I have to do”).
Can I drop є and just say У мене пара нових кросівок?
Yes. In the present tense, native speakers often omit є: У мене пара нових кросівок sounds natural, especially in casual speech. Including є (У мене є…) is a bit more explicit about existence and is stylistically safe and neutral.
Why is it У мене, not В мене?
Both у and в are correct. Ukrainian alternates в/у for euphony (to avoid awkward sound clusters). At the start of a sentence, у is very common, but В мене є пара нових кросівок is also fine. Pick what sounds smoother in context.
Why is it мене and not мені after у/в?
Here у/в takes the genitive to express possession/location “at someone’s.” So у мене uses the genitive мене. If you say в мені, that’s the locative and means “inside me,” e.g., В мені є сила (“There is strength in me”).
Why does пара take the genitive plural кросівок?
Nouns like пара (“a pair”), as well as many measure/quantity nouns, govern the genitive plural:
- пара нових кросівок
- пара шкарпеток
- пара окулярів
- пара джинсів
This is the standard pattern.
Why is it кросівок (genitive plural) and not кросівків?
For many nouns with the plural in -ки (often from singular -ка), the genitive plural drops the ending to -ок:
- шкарпетка → шкарпетки → шкарпеток
- рукавичка → рукавички → рукавичок
- кросівка → кросівки → кросівок
So кросівок is the standard genitive plural. You may hear кросівків colloquially, but кросівок is the recommended form.
What’s the singular of кросівки? Is it кросівка or кросівок?
Usage varies:
- Many speakers use feminine кросівка for “one sneaker”: одна кросівка.
- You will also encounter masculine кросівок for “one sneaker”: один кросівок.
In practice, people rarely talk about a single sneaker. In this sentence, кросівок is genitive plural, not the singular. For everyday purposes, remember the pair-focused plural кросівки and use пара when you need to specify one pair.
Why is the adjective нових in the plural genitive?
Adjectives agree in case and number with the noun they modify. Since пара governs the genitive plural of the item, both the noun and the adjective are in the genitive plural: нових кросівок.
Genitive plural adjective endings are typically -их/-їх: нових, білих, старих.
Is there a difference between пара нових кросівок and just нові кросівки?
- пара нових кросівок clearly means exactly one pair.
- нові кросівки means “new sneakers” and could be one pair (most likely) or more than one pair, depending on context. Use пара if you want to be explicit about a single pair.
Can I say нова пара кросівок instead of пара нових кросівок?
Yes, both are correct:
- нова пара кросівок (the pair is new)
- пара нових кросівок (the sneakers are new)
In most contexts they mean the same; the second version is very common and sounds natural.
Is the word order Є у мене пара нових кросівок acceptable?
Yes. Fronting є or the verb can add an “existential” or emphatic flavor: Є у мене… ≈ “I do have…”. Neutral word order is У мене (є) пара нових кросівок, but the variation is fine.
How do I say “two pairs of sneakers” or “two sneakers”?
- Two pairs: дві пари кросівок (use feminine дві with пара).
- Two individual shoes: people usually avoid counting single sneakers, but you may see either
- дві кросівки (if you use feminine кросівка), or
- два кросівки (if you use masculine кросівок).
In everyday shopping talk, stick with pairs: дві пари кросівок, три пари кросівок, etc.
Why is it spelled кросівок/кросівки and not something like “кросовок/кроссовки”?
Ukrainian uses і and a single с: кросівки, кросівок. Forms with a double с or о in these positions reflect Russian spelling and are incorrect in Ukrainian.
Could I say У мене була/буде пара нових кросівок in other tenses?
Yes:
- Past: У мене була пара нових кросівок (since пара is feminine, use була).
- Future: У мене буде пара нових кросівок.
Are there synonyms for кросівки I should know?
- кеди: canvas sneakers/plimsolls; a specific style.
- кроси: informal slang for sneakers.
In standard neutral speech, кросівки is the safest, most general term.