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Questions & Answers about Чи можна поставити питання?
What does the particle чи do in this sentence? Is it required?
Чи marks a yes/no question (it’s like putting “Is it…?” in front). You can drop it and just say Можна поставити питання? with rising intonation; that’s common in speech. Note that чи also means “or” in questions (e.g., Кава чи чай?).
Is можна a verb? How do I conjugate it?
No. Можна is an impersonal predicative meaning “it is allowed/possible.” It doesn’t conjugate and never takes a subject (not я можна). For past/future, add a time word: можна було (was allowed), можна буде (will be allowed). The negative is не можна (“not allowed”).
What’s the difference between Чи можна поставити питання? and Чи можу я поставити питання?
Both are polite. Чи можна… is impersonal and sounds slightly more neutral/formal (“Is it allowed…?”). Чи можу я… explicitly mentions “I” (“May I…?”) and is perfectly fine; it can feel a bit more direct/personal.
Why use поставити (“to place/put”) to mean “ask”? Are there other ways?
Поставити питання/запитання is a set expression meaning “to pose/ask a question.” You can also say запитати (“to ask”): Чи можна запитати? Many teachers prefer поставити (за)питання or запитати; задати питання is very common but often criticized as a Russian-influenced calque.
Should it be питання or запитання?
Both can mean “question.” Запитання refers specifically to a question; питання can mean “question” but also “issue/topic.” For clarity and style, many prefer поставити запитання or just запитати.
Why is the perfective поставити used and not the imperfective ставити?
Perfective поставити is for a single, complete action (one question now). Imperfective ставити is for repeated/ongoing actions: Чи можна ставити питання під час лекції? (“Is it allowed to ask questions during the lecture?”).
What case is питання in here?
Accusative singular (direct object). Neuter inanimate nouns like питання look the same in nominative and accusative, so the form doesn’t change. If you add the person you’re asking, that pronoun is in the dative: поставити вам/тобі (за)питання.
How do I say “ask you a question” or “ask me a question”?
Use a dative pronoun. Formal: Чи можна поставити вам запитання? Informal: …тобі… To say “May I ask (i.e., me)”: Можна мені поставити запитання?
Can I leave out чи?
Yes. Можна поставити (за)питання? is natural in speech; use a rising intonation. With чи, it’s a bit more formal/explicit.
How polite/formal is this? Any alternatives?
It’s politely neutral and widely used. More formal: Дозвольте поставити запитання? or Чи не могли б ви дозволити поставити запитання? More casual: Можна запитати? You can add будь ласка for extra politeness: Можна поставити запитання, будь ласка?
Why is there a double “нн” in питання?
It comes from the nominalizing suffix -ння, which creates nouns from verbs (here, from питати “to ask”). So it’s always spelled питання with “нн.”
How do I say “a/one question” if Ukrainian has no articles?
Context usually covers it, but to stress the number, say одне (за)питання (“one question”): Чи можна поставити одне запитання?
How do I put this in the past or future?
Use було/буде with можна:
- Past: Чи можна було поставити запитання?
- Future: Чи можна буде поставити запитання?
How do I pronounce it and what should I watch for?
A simple romanization is: chy mozhna postavyty pytannia. Notes: ч = “ch”, ж = “zh”, и sounds like the i in “bit,” and ння gives a long “n” plus “ya” sound (“-nnia”). Don’t pronounce я as a separate syllable after нн; it palatalizes the n: “pytán-nya.”
How do I say “ask questions” (plural/general)?
Use the imperfective/plural sense: Чи можна ставити (за)питання? (“Is it allowed to ask questions?”). You can also say Можна кілька запитань? (“May I ask a few questions?”).