У тіні старого будинку не так жарко, тому там любить сидіти моя тітка.

Because after у meaning in, Ukrainian normally uses the locative case for location.

• тінь = shade, shadow
• у тіні = in the shade / in the shadow

So тіні here is the locative singular form of тінь.

If you used у тінь, that would suggest movement into the shade, not location already inside it.

This means of the old house.

The phrase is built like this:

• у тіні = in the shade
• старого будинку = of the old house

So literally: In the shade of the old house...

Here будинку is in the genitive singular because it depends on тіні: the shade of what? — of the old house.

The adjective старого matches будинку in case, number, and gender:

• старий будинок = an old house
• старого будинку = of the old house

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the verb любить.

• моя = my
• тітка = aunt

So моя тітка = my aunt.

Even though it appears at the end of the sentence, it is still the subject.

Ukrainian word order is much more flexible than English word order.

A more neutral version could be:

Моя тітка любить сидіти там, тому що у тіні старого будинку не так жарко.

But the given sentence puts the location and reason first, and the subject last:

У тіні старого будинку не так жарко, тому там любить сидіти моя тітка.

This sounds natural and gives a certain flow:

1. first the setting,
2. then the result,
3. then who does it.

Putting моя тітка at the end can make it sound slightly more like the new or important information.

Because in the present tense, Ukrainian usually omits the verb to be.

So:

• не так жарко literally = not so hot
• natural English = it isn’t so hot

This is very normal in Ukrainian. The meaning of is/are is understood from context.

Here жарко means hot, especially in the sense of weather or temperature in a place.

It is not an adjective agreeing with a noun. It is a predicative adverb/state word, used in sentences like:

• Тут жарко. = It’s hot here.
• Сьогодні жарко. = It’s hot today.

So не так жарко means it’s not so hot or it’s less hot.

It most directly means not so hot or not that hot.

There is often an implied comparison, for example:

• not as hot as somewhere else
• not so hot as in the sun

So in this sentence, the idea is something like:

In the shade of the old house, it isn’t as hot, so my aunt likes to sit there.

If you wanted not very hot, Ukrainian might also use не дуже жарко.

So:

• не так жарко = not so hot / less hot
• не дуже жарко = not very hot

Тому here means therefore, so, or that’s why.

It connects the two clauses like this:

• У тіні старого будинку не так жарко = In the shade of the old house it’s not so hot
• тому там любить сидіти моя тітка = so my aunt likes to sit there

So тому introduces the result/consequence.

This is different from бо or тому що, which mean because and introduce a reason.

Compare:

• ..., тому там любить сидіти моя тітка. = ..., so my aunt likes to sit there.
• Моя тітка любить сидіти там, бо у тіні старого будинку не так жарко. = My aunt likes to sit there because it’s not so hot in the shade of the old house.

Because там means there, and it refers back to the place already mentioned.

This is natural in Ukrainian. After naming a place, speakers often use там to avoid repeating the whole phrase.

So the structure is:

• In the shade of the old house it isn’t so hot,
• therefore there my aunt likes to sit.

In English, this also works:

• In the shade of the old house it isn’t so hot, so my aunt likes to sit there.

Because after любить meaning likes/loves, Ukrainian commonly uses an infinitive to describe the activity someone likes doing.

• любить = likes / loves
• сидіти = to sit, to be sitting

So любить сидіти = likes to sit

This is very similar to English likes to sit.

Because the sentence describes a habitual, repeated activity, not a single completed action.

• сидіти = to sit, to be sitting, to spend time sitting
• сісти = to sit down
• посидіти = to sit for a while

Here the aunt likes sitting there in general, so сидіти is the right choice.

If you said любить сісти, that would sound odd, because сісти focuses on the one-time action of sitting down, not the ongoing activity.

This is a very important Ukrainian distinction:

• сидіти = to be sitting
• сісти = to sit down

So:

• Вона сидить. = She is sitting.
• Вона сідає / сяде. = She is sitting down / will sit down.

In your sentence, the aunt likes the activity of being there seated, so сидіти is correct.

Yes, often у and в are interchangeable, and the choice is usually made for ease of pronunciation and sound flow.

So both can be possible in many contexts:

• У тіні старого будинку...
• В тіні старого будинку...

In standard usage, speakers choose the one that sounds smoother with surrounding words. Here У тіні sounds very natural.

Because the sentence has two clauses:

1. У тіні старого будинку не так жарко
2. тому там любить сидіти моя тітка

They are connected by тому = so / therefore, so Ukrainian punctuation uses a comma between them.

This is similar to English:

• It isn’t so hot there, so my aunt likes to sit there.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In this sentence, любить сидіти is best understood as likes to sit or enjoys sitting.

Ukrainian любити is often broader than English love. With activities, it can simply mean to like doing something.

So here:

• моя тітка любить сидіти там = my aunt likes sitting there

Yes. A very literal breakdown is:

• У тіні старого будинку = In the shade of the old house
• не так жарко = it’s not so hot
• тому = so / therefore
• там = there
• любить сидіти = likes to sit
• моя тітка = my aunt

So the sentence is organized by topic first, subject later. This is common in Ukrainian and often sounds more natural than forcing strict English-style word order.

English usually prefers: My aunt likes to sit there because it’s not so hot in the shade of the old house.

Ukrainian often allows: In the shade of the old house it’s not so hot, so there likes to sit my aunt.

That last English version is awkward, but in Ukrainian the structure is normal.