Я шукаю другий чобіт.

I am looking for the second boot.

Breakdown of Я шукаю другий чобіт.

• я: I
• другий: second
• шукати: to look for
• чобіт: the boot

Questions & Answers about Я шукаю другий чобіт.

Can I omit the subject pronoun and just say “Шукаю другий чобіт”?

Yes. Ukrainian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. So Шукаю другий чобіт is perfectly natural. Keeping Я adds slight emphasis or contrast (for example, “I’m the one looking…”).

Why is there no preposition “for” after “шукаю”?

Because шукати takes a direct object in the accusative case—no preposition is used. Examples: шукати ключі, шукати роботу, шукати другий чобіт. Avoid adding a preposition like “for.” You may hear шукати за regionally, but standard Ukrainian is simply шукати + noun.

Why use другий here? Doesn’t it mean “second,” not “other”?

• другий = “second” and, when there are exactly two items, it also means “the other (one of the pair).” With boots (a pair), Я шукаю другий чобіт means you’re after the missing boot of that pair.
• інший = “other/another/different” in a general sense. Я шукаю інший чобіт would imply “a different boot (not the matching one),” or simply “another boot,” not necessarily the one from the same pair.

Why is it другий, not друга or друге?

Agreement. чобіт is masculine singular, so the modifier must be masculine singular: другий. Feminine would be друга, neuter друге. If the head noun were feminine (e.g., пара “pair”), you’d say: Я шукаю другу пару чобіт.

Why is it чобіт, not чобота, after шукаю?

Accusative case rules. With inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative form equals the nominative, so it’s чобіт. Animate masculine nouns take the “genitive-like” ending in the accusative:

• Inanimate: Я шукаю другий чобіт.
• Animate: Я шукаю другого друга.

What’s the plural of чобіт, and how do I say “two boots” or “a pair of boots”?

• Plural: чоботи (“boots”).
• “Two/three/four boots”: два/три/чотири чоботи.
• “Five (or more) boots”: п’ять чобіт (genitive plural; note it looks like the singular but it’s a different case).
• “A pair of boots”: пара чобіт; “two pairs”: дві пари чобіт.

Is чобіт the right word here? How is it different from черевик or кросівок?

• чобіт = a boot with a higher shaft (knee-/calf-length).
• черевик = a shoe or ankle boot.
• кросівок = a sneaker/trainer (plural: кросівки). If you mean “the other shoe,” use черевик: Шукаю другий/інший черевик.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

• Stress: шука́ю дру́гий чо́біт.
• IPA: [jɑ ʃuˈkɑju ˈdruɦɪj ˈt͡ʃɔbʲit]
• Tips:
  • г in другий is a voiced “h” [ɦ], not an English “g.”
  • и is [ɪ] (like a short, central “i”); і is [i] (like “machine”).
  • ч = “ch” as in “church.”
  • Before і, the б in чобіт is slightly softened.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, with nuance:

• Шукаю другий чобіт. Neutral; pronoun omitted.
• Другий чобіт шукаю. Puts focus on the object (“It’s the second boot I’m looking for”).
• Я шукаю другий чобіт. Neutral but slightly emphasizes “I.” Word order is flexible; intonation carries emphasis.

How do I say this in past or future, or if I mean “I’ll have a quick look”?

• Past: Я шукав (m) / Я шукала (f).
• Found: Я знайшов (m) / Я знайшла (f) другий чобіт.
• Future (imperfective, ongoing): Я шукатиму or Я буду шукати другий чобіт.
• Future (perfective, short attempt): Я пошукаю другий чобіт (“I’ll look for it for a bit”).
• Future (result-focused): Я знайду другий чобіт (“I will find the other boot”).

If the noun were animate, would the endings change?

Yes. Animate masculine nouns take the genitive form in the accusative:

• Inanimate: Я шукаю другий чобіт.
• Animate: Я шукаю другого друга/котa/охоронця.

Should I add “my,” like мій or свій?

Usually no—possession is clear from context. If you need to specify, свій (one’s own) is the idiomatic choice with the same subject:

• Neutral/emphatic: Я шукаю свій другий чобіт.
• мій works too (мій другий чобіт) but emphasizes “my (not someone else’s).”