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Questions & Answers about Словник лежить на столі.
Why use лежить here; can I just say Словник на столі?
Yes. In Ukrainian the present tense of “to be” is often omitted, so Словник на столі is a perfectly natural “The/A dictionary is on the table.” Using лежить adds the idea that it is lying flat (posture), like English “is lying.”
Can I use є in this sentence?
- Use є to make an existential statement: На столі є словник. = “There is a dictionary on the table.”
- Словник є на столі is grammatically fine but sounds marked/bookish or emphatic (e.g., correcting someone). Most often you’d just say Словник на столі or specify posture with лежить/стоїть.
How flexible is the word order?
- Neutral: Словник лежить на столі.
- Focus on location: На столі лежить словник. (answers “Where is the dictionary?”)
- Лежить словник на столі is possible but sounds poetic or stylistically marked.
Why is it на столі and not на стол?
Because на takes:
- Locative for location (де? where?): на столі = “on the table.”
- Accusative for direction (куди? onto where?): на стіл = “onto the table.” Here we describe location, so it’s Locative: на столі.
What case is столі, and how does стіл decline (singular)?
Столі is Locative singular of стіл. Useful singular forms:
- Nominative: стіл
- Genitive: стола
- Dative: столу/столові
- Accusative: стіл (inanimate)
- Instrumental: столом
- Locative: столі
- Vocative: столе!
How would I say “Put the dictionary on the table”?
Use motion onto + Accusative:
- Laying it down: Поклади словник на стіл. (imperative, perfective)
- Placing upright: Постав словник на стіл.
Is на столу ever correct?
In modern standard Ukrainian, use на столі. You may hear на столу in some dialects or older texts, but it’s not standard today.
Does лежати mean “to tell a lie”?
No. Лежати = “to lie (be in a horizontal position).” “To tell a lie” is брехати. Example: Він бреше = “He is lying (not telling the truth).”
What if the dictionary is upright—should I still use лежить?
Choose the posture verb that matches the object:
- лежати = lie (flat): Словник лежить на столі.
- стояти = stand (upright): Словник стоїть на столі. Related: висіти (to hang), сидіти (to sit/be perched).
How do I ask questions based on this sentence?
- “Where is the dictionary?” → Де лежить словник?
- “What is lying on the table?” → Що лежить на столі?
How do I pronounce and stress it?
- Stress: Словни́к лежи́ть на столі́.
- Rough IPA: [sloʋˈnɪk lɛʒˈɪt nɑ stoˈlʲi]
- Tips:
- и = [ɪ] (as in “bit”)
- і = [i] (as in “machine”) and softens the preceding consonant (so л in столі is soft [lʲ]).
- Simple transliteration: Slovnyk lezhyt na stoli.
There’s no “a/the” in Ukrainian—how do I show definiteness?
Ukrainian has no articles; context decides. To be specific, use demonstratives:
- цей словник = this dictionary
- той словник = that dictionary Example: Цей словник лежить на столі.
What’s the plural version?
Словники лежать на столі. = “Dictionaries are lying on the table.”
Also natural: На столі лежать словники.
Does the verb change for gender?
- Present 3rd person singular лежить doesn’t show gender.
- In the past it does:
- Masculine: лежав (Словник лежав на столі.)
- Feminine: лежала
- Neuter: лежало
- Plural: лежали
How do I negate it?
Put не before the verb: Словник не лежить на столі. = “The dictionary is not lying on the table.”
Is there a difference between на столі and за столом?
Yes:
- на столі = on the surface of the table.
- за столом = at the table (sitting/eating/working there). Example: Ми сидимо за столом, а словник лежить на столі.
How does this compare to Russian?
- Ukrainian: Словни́к лежи́ть на столі́.
- Russian: Словарь лежи́т на столе́. Differences:
- Word choice: словник vs словарь.
- Ending: Ukrainian Locative -і in столі vs Russian -е in столе.
- Both use a posture verb; just remember Ukrainian often omits є in simple present statements.