Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Він став злим, коли втратив квиток.

Став = “became.” It’s the past masculine form of the perfective verb стати “to become.” Imperfective partner: ставати (“to be becoming, to get”). Other past forms: стала (she), стало (it), стали (they).

Why is it злим and not злий?

After стати (“to become”), Ukrainian normally uses the instrumental case: стати + ким? чим? So the adjective злий (“angry/mean”) becomes masculine instrumental злим. Patterns: masc/neut -им (злим), fem -ою (злою), plural -ими (злими).

How would the sentence change for a woman or for several people?

Feminine: Вона стала злою, коли втратила квиток.
Plural: Вони стали злими, коли втратили квиток.

Does злий mean “angry” or “evil”?

Both are possible. In everyday speech, злий often means “angry” (“He’s mad”). In other contexts it can mean “evil/mean.” If you want to avoid ambiguity and stress the emotion, verbs like розсердився or розізлився (“got angry”) are very clear.

Would it sound more natural to use a verb like “got angry” instead of “became angry”?

Often yes. Very natural options:

Він розсердився, коли загубив квиток.
Він розізлився, коли загубив квиток. These emphasize the sudden emotional reaction.

Why is there no subject pronoun in the clause with коли?

Ukrainian can omit a repeated subject when it’s clear from context. …коли втратив квиток is understood as “when he lost the ticket.” You could include it: коли він втратив квиток, but it’s not required.

Is the comma before коли required?

Yes. Коли introduces a subordinate time clause, so standard Ukrainian punctuation puts a comma before it: …злим, коли… If the коли-clause comes first, put the comma after it: Коли (він) втратив квиток, він став злим.

Should I add свій (his own) before квиток?

You can. Свій is often used when the subject is the possessor: …коли (він) втратив свій квиток. It’s optional here because context already makes it clear, but adding свій is natural.

What’s the difference between втратив and загубив?

Втратив (from втратити) = “lost” in a general/formal sense; often used for losses (time, money, opportunities), but also OK for objects.
Загубив (from загубити) = “misplaced/physically lost” something; this is the most idiomatic with a ticket.
So: загубив квиток often sounds more natural.

Why is it perfective втратив, not imperfective втрачав?

The loss is a single, completed event, so perfective fits: втратив. Imperfective втрачав suggests a process or repeated action (“was losing/used to lose”), which doesn’t match a one-time loss here.

Can I put the коли-clause first?

Yes:

Коли (він) втратив квиток, він став злим.
You can still omit the repeated він in the subordinate clause if it’s clear.

What case is квиток here, and why doesn’t it change form?

It’s accusative singular. Masculine inanimate nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative: квиток → квиток. (Animate masculine nouns take genitive in the accusative.)

How would I say “because he lost the ticket” instead of “when he lost the ticket”?

Use a causal conjunction:

Він став злим, бо втратив (свій) квиток.
Він став злим, тому що втратив (свій) квиток.
More formal: …через те, що…

How do I add emphasis like “very angry” or “so angry”?

“Very angry”: Він став дуже злим, коли…
“So angry that…”: Він став таким злим, що почав кричати.

Can I use як instead of коли for “when”?

In colloquial speech, як can introduce a time clause, especially in narratives: Як загубив квиток, то розсердився. However, коли is the neutral, safest choice in standard language.

How do I pronounce or transliterate the sentence?

Standard transliteration: Vin stav zlym, koly vtratyv kvytok.
Note: и is a short “y” sound (not like English “ee”), and the consonant cluster in втратив starts with “vt-,” which is normal in Ukrainian.