Word
О півночі я вимикаю планшет і йду спати.
Meaning
At midnight I turn off the tablet and go to sleep.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about О півночі я вимикаю планшет і йду спати.
Why is it о півночі and not something with в/у?
For clock times, Ukrainian uses the preposition о/об with the Locative case: о сьомій, о півночі. The prepositions в/у are not used for exact clock times. Compare:
- о півночі = at midnight
- вночі = at night (general time period, not the exact hour)
Is о півночі the same as опівночі?
They both mean “at midnight,” but:
- о півночі = preposition + noun (Locative)
- опівночі = a single adverb Both are correct. Опівночі is a bit more compact and very common.
What case is півночі, and why does it end in -і?
It’s the Locative singular of північ (feminine). The preposition о requires the Locative for time expressions. For nouns like північ, the Locative form happens to look the same as the Genitive singular (півночі), so the ending -і is expected here.
Does північ also mean “north”? How do I tell which meaning is intended?
Yes. Північ can mean “midnight” or “north.” Context and the preposition make it clear:
- Time: о/опівночі = at midnight
- Direction/location: на півночі = in the north
How else can I say “at midnight” or “at 12 a.m.”?
Common options:
- опівночі
- о півночі
- о дванадцятій ночі All are natural. For “around midnight,” say близько опівночі.
What exactly does вимикаю express here? How would I say it as a one-time future action?
Вимикаю is present tense, imperfective: “I turn off / I am turning off,” and with a time adverbial it often means a habit/routine. For a single, one-time future, use the perfective: я вимкну планшет (“I will turn off the tablet”).
Can I say виключаю планшет instead of вимикаю планшет?
Better not. Standard Ukrainian prefers вимикати/вимкнути for switching devices off/on (вмикати/увімкнути for on). Виключати/виключити primarily means “to exclude” and is considered a Russism in the “switch off” sense.
Why is there no article before планшет?
Ukrainian has no articles. Context covers what English expresses with “a/the.” If you mean “my tablet,” you’d add a possessive: мій планшет.
Which case is планшет in, and why doesn’t it change?
It’s in the Accusative as the direct object of вимикаю. For masculine inanimate nouns like планшет, the Accusative singular is identical to the Nominative: (я) бачу планшет. Animate masculine nouns do change (e.g., бачу брата).
Why is it йду спати (infinitive) rather than сплю?
After verbs of motion, Ukrainian often uses an infinitive to express purpose: йду спати = “I’m going (in order) to sleep.” Сплю means “I sleep/I’m sleeping” (a state), not “go to sleep.” Another common phrase for “go to bed” is лягаю спати.
Is йду the only correct form? I’ve seen іду too.
Both exist. The standard form is йти/йду, while іти/іду is an accepted variant. Your sentence uses the standard йду.
Why do we see і йду? Could it be й іду or і іду?
- The conjunction “and” has two euphonic forms: і and й. A common rule of thumb: use і before consonants and й before vowels.
- The verb here begins with the consonant й (йду), so і йду is natural.
- й іду is usually only seen if you use the variant verb іду (vowel-initial): й іду. Since your verb is йду, stick with і.
Can I drop the subject pronoun я?
Yes. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language. Вимикаю планшет і йду спати is perfectly natural in context because the verb endings already show the person.
Can I move the time expression to another position?
Yes. Word order is flexible. For example:
- Я вимикаю планшет о півночі і йду спати.
- О півночі вимикаю планшет і йду спати. Fronting о півночі adds emphasis to the time.
Do I need a comma before і here?
No. There’s one subject (я) and two coordinated predicates (вимикаю, йду), so no comma is used. You’d add a comma if you were linking independent clauses or had a more complex structure.
How would I say this as a concrete plan for tonight with perfective verbs?
Use perfective future forms: О півночі я вимкну планшет і піду спати.
What’s the difference between йду and їду? I mix them up.
- йду (from йти) = I go on foot.
- їду (from їхати) = I go/ride by vehicle. In this sentence, йду спати is an idiom meaning “I’m going to sleep,” not related to transport.