Breakdown of Її чоботи теплі, а моє пальто довге.
мій
my
довгий
long
її
her
а
and
теплий
warm
чобіт
the boot
пальто
the coat
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Questions & Answers about Її чоботи теплі, а моє пальто довге.
Why is there no word for “are” in the sentence?
In Ukrainian the present-tense form of the verb to be (бути) is usually omitted. So Її чоботи теплі literally means “Her boots warm.” You may add a dash for emphasis: Її чоботи — теплі, а моє пальто — довге, but it’s optional.
What’s the difference between а, і/й, and але here?
- і/й = plain “and,” simply adds information: Її чоботи теплі, і моє пальто довге.
- а = a contrastive “and/while/whereas,” good for mild comparison: … теплі, а … довге.
- але = stronger “but,” more adversative: … теплі, але … довге.
Why is it моє пальто (not мій пальто) and її чоботи? Do these words change?
- пальто is neuter singular, so “my” must be neuter: моє (paradigm: мій masc, моя fem, моє neut, мої plural).
- її (“her”) as a possessive determiner is invariable; it doesn’t change with the noun.
- чоботи is plural, so agreeing words take plural forms (e.g., мої чоботи, теплі чоботи).
What are the gender/number properties of чоботи and пальто?
- чоботи = plural “boots”; singular is чобіт (masculine).
- пальто = neuter singular; it’s indeclinable in the singular (stays пальто in all cases). Its plural is пальта.
Why are the adjective forms теплі and довге?
Adjectives agree with the nouns in number and gender (nominative case in this predicative use):
- теплий → plural теплі to match plural чоботи.
- довгий → neuter singular довге to match neuter пальто.
Is noun + adjective order normal? I thought adjectives go before nouns.
Both exist, with different functions:
- Attributive (descriptive) adjectives come before nouns: теплі чоботи, довге пальто.
- Predicative adjectives (after an understood “to be”) follow the noun: чоботи теплі, пальто довге. That’s what you see here.
How do I pronounce the tricky letters?
- Її: each ї is like “yi”; pronounce both: “yi-yi.”
- є in моє: “ye” as in “yes” → “mo-ye.”
- г in довге: a voiced “h,” not an English hard “g.”
- ль in пальто: a soft (palatalized) “l.”
Does Ukrainian use articles like “a/the”?
No. There are no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context: пальто can mean “a coat” or “the coat.”
Why is there a comma before а? Can a dash be used?
The comma separates two independent clauses joined by а. A dash can optionally mark the missing present-tense “to be” inside a clause for emphasis: Моє пальто — довге.
Is “boots” always plural in Ukrainian? How do I say “a pair of boots”?
“Boots” is normally plural: чоботи. One boot is чобіт. “A pair of boots” is пара чобіт.
Can I swap the order of the clauses or emphasize different parts?
Yes. Моє пальто довге, а її чоботи теплі is fine. You can front adjectives for emphasis (more marked): Теплі її чоботи; довге моє пальто.
Why not мого пальто or мій пальто?
- мого is genitive; here you need nominative because моє пальто is the subject.
- мій пальто is wrong gender; пальто is neuter, so use моє.