Breakdown of Брудний посуд стоїть у раковині.
у
in
стояти
to stand
раковина
the sink
брудний
dirty
посуд
the tableware
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Questions & Answers about Брудний посуд стоїть у раковині.
Why is the Ukrainian word for “dishes,” посуд, singular here?
Because посуд is a collective mass noun in Ukrainian. It means “dishes/tableware” as a whole and is grammatically singular (masculine inanimate). So it takes singular agreement: брудний посуд стоїть… not стоять. To talk about individual items, use plural count nouns like тарілки (plates), склянки (glasses), чашки (cups), etc.
Why is it стоїть (singular) and not стоять (plural)?
The verb agrees with the grammatical number of the subject. Since посуд is singular as a mass noun, you use singular стоїть. If the subject were plural (e.g., тарілки), you’d say тарілки стоять.
Does стоїть literally mean “is standing”? Why use it for dishes?
Yes, стоїть literally means “stands,” but in Ukrainian it’s commonly used to indicate where an object is situated or left, not only physically “standing.” With household items, стоїть is very natural. You might also hear:
- лежить (“lies/is lying”) for things clearly lying flat.
- Zero copula: Брудний посуд у раковині. (no verb; neutral present “is/are”)
- є (“is/are”): Брудний посуд є у раковині, but present є is often omitted unless you want to stress existence/availability.
Can I just say Брудний посуд у раковині without any verb?
Yes. In the present tense Ukrainian often omits “to be.” Брудний посуд у раковині is a perfectly normal, neutral statement.
Why is it у раковині and not в раковині?
Both у and в mean “in.” Ukrainian alternates them for euphony. After a word ending in a consonant (here, стоїть ends in -ть), у helps avoid a hard cluster, so стоїть у… sounds smoother than стоїть в…. Either is grammatical; speakers choose what sounds better in context.
What case is раковині, and why that ending?
It’s the Locative singular, used after у/в to express location. Base form: раковина (sink). Locative singular: у раковині (“in the sink”). If you expressed motion into the sink, you’d use Accusative: в раковину (“into the sink”).
I see both раковини and раковині in writing. Are they the same?
No. They look similar but differ:
- раковини (with “и”) = Genitive singular (“of the sink”) or Nominative plural.
- раковині (with “і”) = Locative singular (“in/at the sink”). Here we need Locative: у раковині.
What exactly does раковина mean? Is it the kitchen sink or bathroom sink?
Раковина can mean either a kitchen or bathroom sink. You’ll also hear:
- мийка / кухонна мийка for a kitchen sink,
- умивальник for a bathroom sink. Context usually makes it clear. Note that раковина can also mean a seashell in other contexts.
Why is the adjective брудний in this form?
It agrees with посуд, which is masculine singular. Adjective agreement:
- masculine singular: брудний посуд
- feminine singular: брудна тарілка
- neuter singular: брудне відро
- plural: брудні тарілки
Could I use в раковину instead of в/у раковині?
That changes the meaning. В/у раковині (Locative) = “in the sink” (location). В/у раковину (Accusative) = “into the sink” (motion). For example: Поклади тарілку в раковину = “Put the plate into the sink.”
Is на раковині ever correct?
Yes, but it means “on the sink” (on the rim or surface), not inside the basin. У/в раковині = in the basin; на раковині = on top of it.
Can I say в раковині here, or is that wrong?
It’s not wrong. у/в are interchangeable in meaning; the choice is phonetic/style. стоїть у раковині simply flows more smoothly after a consonant-ending word.
What are the stresses and how do I pronounce the sentence?
Stresses: брудни́й по́суд стої́ть у ра́ковині. The letter ї in стоїть is pronounced like “yi” [ji]. A rough guide: brud-NY POS-ud sto-YIT u RA-ko-vy-ni.
Is there a plural for посуд?
In everyday Ukrainian, посуд is used as a singular mass noun with no regular plural. A rare plural посуди can occur in technical/genre contexts (“types of wares”), and there’s also the collective noun посуддя, but for normal “dishes” you just use посуд.
How does word order affect nuance?
Ukrainian word order is flexible.
- Брудний посуд стоїть у раковині is neutral.
- У раковині стоїть брудний посуд foregrounds the location.
- Брудний посуд у раковині (no verb) is also fine and matter‑of‑fact. Use order to emphasize what’s new or important.
How would I say “some dirty dishes” in Ukrainian?
Use a quantifier with the Genitive: трохи брудного посуду or якийсь брудний посуд. Example: У раковині трохи брудного посуду.
Could I replace стоїть with знаходиться?
You could, but знаходиться (“is located”) sounds formal/technical. In everyday speech about household objects, стоїть or the zero‑copula version is more natural.