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Questions & Answers about Сьогодні на вулиці холодно.
Why is there no verb to be in the sentence?
In Ukrainian, the present-tense form of бути (to be) is normally omitted. So you simply say Сьогодні на вулиці холодно, not … є холодно. Weather and states are typically expressed with an impersonal predicate like холодно without any explicit verb.
What part of speech is холодно, and can I use холодний instead?
- холодно is a predicative adverb (often called a predicate of state). It functions as the whole predicate in impersonal sentences: Холодно.
- холодний is an adjective and must modify a noun: холодний день (a cold day), холодна вода (cold water).
You don’t say Сьогодні на вулиці холодний unless you add a noun: Сьогодні на вулиці холодний вітер.
Can I add є (is) and say Сьогодні на вулиці є холодно?
Not in normal speech. Є is usually omitted with adjectives/adverbs in the present. You might see є for strong contrast or existence, but even then, with weather predicates it sounds unnatural. Prefer: Сьогодні на вулиці холодно.
What case is вулиці, and why does it have that ending?
It’s the Locative case singular (місцевий відмінок), required by на when it means location.
- Nominative: вулиця
- Locative: на вулиці
The ending -і is the regular Locative singular ending for many feminine nouns in -я/-а.
Why на вулиці and not в/у вулиці?
Ukrainian uses на with many open spaces, surfaces, and some fixed locations: на вулиці (on the street/outside), на площі (in the square), на стадіоні (at the stadium). В/у is used for being inside something enclosed: в кімнаті (in the room). With вулиця, the natural collocation is на вулиці.
What’s the difference between на вулиці, надворі/на дворі, and зовні?
- на вулиці literally on the street; very common and neutral, often just means outside.
- надворі (also heard as на дворі) means outside/outdoors; widely used and perfectly standard.
- зовні means outside, outdoors, but can also mean externally (as opposed to internally), so context matters.
All are fine in this sentence: Сьогодні надворі холодно is as natural as Сьогодні на вулиці холодно.
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Ukrainian word order is flexible. Common variants include:
- Сьогодні на вулиці холодно. (neutral)
- На вулиці сьогодні холодно. (slight emphasis on location)
- Сьогодні холодно на вулиці. (emphasis on it being cold today, specifying where) All are natural here.
How do I make this a yes/no question?
Two easy options:
- Just use questioning intonation: Сьогодні на вулиці холодно?
- Use чи for a clear yes/no question: Чи сьогодні на вулиці холодно?
Both are correct; the version without чи is very common in speech.
How do I say it’s not cold outside today?
Add не: Сьогодні на вулиці не холодно.
For stronger denial: Сьогодні на вулиці зовсім не холодно.
How can I intensify or soften холодно?
- Intensify: дуже холодно, страшенно холодно, жахливо холодно, надзвичайно холодно.
- Soften: трохи холодно, доволі холодно, досить холодно.
Example: Сьогодні на вулиці дуже холодно.
How do I say “I am cold” (I feel cold), as opposed to “It is cold”?
Use the dative of the person + холодно: Мені холодно (I’m cold).
If you want to say you’ve gotten cold/you’re freezing:
- masculine: Я змерз
- feminine: Я змерзла
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- сьогодні: the -сьо- makes the с soft; stress is on the second syllable: сього́дні.
- холодно: stress the second syllable: холо́дно.
- г in Ukrainian is a voiced fricative [ɦ], not a hard English g.
- вулиці: stress the first syllable: ву́лиці.
Put it together smoothly: Сього́дні на ву́лиці холо́дно.
Why is there a soft sign in сьогодні?
The ь shows that the preceding consonant is soft and combines with о to represent the сьо sound. After consonants, Ukrainian writes ьо to convey a palatalized consonant plus the “yo/o” glide, as in сьо- of сьогодні.
Are there related weather words I can swap in?
Yes, common impersonal predicates include:
- тепло (warm), спекотно (hot), прохолодно (cool), вітряно (windy), похмуро (overcast), сонячно (sunny), морозно (frosty, below freezing).
Example: Сьогодні на вулиці морозно.
How do I say “I’m going outside,” using the same noun?
Use motion with the Accusative: Я виходжу на вулицю.
Contrast location vs. direction:
- Location (where?): на вулиці (Locative) — Я вже на вулиці.
- Direction (to where?): на вулицю (Accusative) — Я йду на вулицю.