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Breakdown of Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію.
ми
we
якщо
if
небезпечно
dangerous
викликати
to call
поліція
the police
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Questions & Answers about Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію.
What does Якщо mean here? Can I use коли instead?
Якщо means if. It introduces a condition. Коли means when (or “whenever”) and usually talks about time, not a condition. Compare:
- Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію. = If it’s dangerous, we call the police.
- Коли небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію. = When(ever) it’s dangerous, we call the police. (general rule, every time that situation occurs)
Why is небезпечно an -о form? Where is “is”/“to be”?
Небезпечно is a predicative adverb used in impersonal sentences to mean “(it is) dangerous.” In the present tense, Ukrainian usually omits the verb є (“is”). So Якщо небезпечно literally means “If (it is) dangerous.” You can add це for specificity: Якщо це небезпечно, … Both are fine; without це sounds more general.
Is the pronoun ми required?
No. Subject pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending already shows the person/number. You can say:
- Ми викликаємо поліцію. (neutral)
- Викликаємо поліцію. (also natural) Using ми can add a bit of emphasis (“we (as opposed to others)”).
Why is the present tense used? Shouldn’t it be “we will call” for the future?
In Ukrainian, a present tense in both clauses often expresses a real condition that has future reference:
- Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію. = If it’s dangerous, we (will) call the police. (rule/typical response) If you want to stress a single future event, use the simple future:
- Якщо буде/стане небезпечно, ми викличемо поліцію. = If it becomes dangerous, we will call the police. Repeated/ongoing future can use the analytical future:
- … ми будемо викликати поліцію. (we’ll be calling/do so repeatedly)
Does викликати mean “to call (by phone)” or “to summon”?
Викликати primarily means “to summon/call out (for someone to come),” which is exactly what you do with emergency services:
- викликати поліцію/швидку/пожежних = to call the police/ambulance/fire brigade (to come) For “to call by phone,” use дзвонити or телефонувати:
- дзвонити (до/в) поліції, телефонувати (до/в) поліції.
Why поліцію and not поліція?
It’s in the accusative case as a direct object of викликаємо (“whom/what do we summon?”):
- Nominative: поліція
- Accusative: поліцію Note the different case with a preposition: дзвонити до поліції / в поліцію (genitive or locative construction, depending on the preposition).
Is the comma after Якщо небезпечно required? Can I add то?
Yes, a comma is required to separate the conditional clause:
- Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію. You may optionally add то for emphasis/clarity:
- Якщо небезпечно, то ми викликаємо поліцію.
Can I switch the clause order?
Yes:
- Якщо небезпечно, ми викликаємо поліцію.
- Ми викликаємо поліцію, якщо небезпечно. The comma still separates the clauses.
How do you pronounce якщо, and where is the stress in the sentence?
- Якщо is pronounced roughly “yakshchó”; the letter щ sounds like “shch,” and the stress is on the final -о: якщо́.
- Suggested stress pattern for the whole sentence: якщо́ небезпе́чно, ми виклика́ємо полі́цію. Approximate transcription: yakshchó nebezpéchno, my vyklykáyemo polítsiyu.
Is it written небезпечно or не безпечно?
Normally it’s one word: небезпечно (“dangerous(ly)”). The split не безпечно appears only in special contrastive contexts (e.g., не безпечно, а зовсім безглуздо), which is not the case here.
How do I say “if it becomes dangerous, we’ll call the police”?
- Якщо стане небезпечно, ми викличемо поліцію.
- Якщо буде небезпечно, ми викличемо поліцію. Both are natural; стане explicitly means “becomes.”
Is “police” singular or plural in Ukrainian?
Поліція is a singular feminine collective noun. It takes singular agreement:
- Поліція приїхала. (The police arrived.) In English “the police” is plural, but in Ukrainian it behaves as singular.