Breakdown of Сьогодні в магазині одягу розпродаж капелюхів.
в
in
сьогодні
today
капелюх
the hat
магазин одягу
the clothing store
розпродаж
the sale
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Questions & Answers about Сьогодні в магазині одягу розпродаж капелюхів.
What does the ending -і in в магазині indicate?
It’s the locative case. After the preposition в/у meaning “in/at,” Ukrainian uses the locative to show static location: в магазині = “in the store.” For many masculine nouns like магазин, the locative singular ends in -і (e.g., у домі, на столі).
Why is одягу in the genitive (and not одяг)?
Because магазин одягу literally means “store of clothing.” Ukrainian often uses a second noun in the genitive to specify type/ownership/contents: магазин одягу (clothing store), магазин взуття (shoe store). Also, одяг is a mass noun; its genitive singular is одягу.
Why isn’t there a verb “is/are” in the sentence?
Ukrainian usually drops the present-tense “to be” (the copula) in statements like this. Сьогодні … розпродаж … is equivalent to “There is a sale today…”. You can include є for emphasis on existence—Сьогодні в магазині одягу є розпродаж капелюхів—but it’s not required.
Why is капелюхів in the genitive plural?
Because it specifies the object of the sale: “a sale of hats.” In Ukrainian, a noun like розпродаж is followed by a genitive to indicate “of what,” hence розпродаж капелюхів. The noun капелюх forms genitive plural капелюхів.
Can I use у instead of в here: Сьогодні у магазині одягу…?
Yes. В and у both mean “in/at.” Ukrainian alternates them for euphony (what sounds smoother). After a word ending in a vowel like сьогодні, в is common, but у is also fine. Choose the one that’s easier to pronounce in context; both are correct.
Can I change the word order without changing the meaning?
Yes. Ukrainian word order is flexible for emphasis. For example:
- У магазині одягу сьогодні розпродаж капелюхів.
- Сьогодні розпродаж капелюхів у магазині одягу. They all mean the same; placing a word earlier or later highlights it.
What’s the difference between капелюх and шапка?
- Капелюх: a brimmed hat (fedora, sunhat, top hat).
- Шапка: a cap/beanie/winter hat without a brim.
Avoid шляпа (a Russism) in standard Ukrainian.
Could I say розпродаж на капелюхи instead of розпродаж капелюхів?
You’ll hear both. Traditional usage is genitive: розпродаж капелюхів (“sale of hats”). With discounts/promotions, на + Accusative is common: знижки на капелюхи (“discounts on hats”). Розпродаж на капелюхи appears in ads and everyday speech; the genitive sounds a bit more formal/standard.
Why is it в магазині, not в магазину?
Because в/у with static location takes the locative: в магазині (“in the store”). Магазину is dative/genitive, not used for location. If you mean motion into the store, you’d use the accusative: в магазин (“into the store/to the store”).
Where are the articles “the/a” in this sentence?
Ukrainian has no articles. Definiteness/indefiniteness is conveyed by context, word order, stress, or demonstratives like цей/та/те/ті (this/that/those). So the sentence naturally covers both “There is a hat sale…” and “There’s a hat sale at the clothing store…” depending on context.