Коли в мене нежить, я беру серветку.

Here коли means when in the sense of whenever.

So Коли в мене нежить, я беру серветку means something like:

• When/Whenever I have a runny nose, I take a tissue.

This is a common pattern for habitual actions: one thing happens regularly, and another action follows.

If you used якщо, that would sound more like if:

• Якщо в мене нежить, я беру серветку = If I have a runny nose, I take a tissue

That is possible, but коли is often more natural for repeated, usual situations.

Ukrainian very often expresses possession or personal states with у/в + someone rather than with a verb like to have.

So:

• в мене нежить literally means something like at me there is a runny nose
• natural English: I have a runny nose

This structure is extremely common in Ukrainian:

• У мене є книга = I have a book
• У мене температура = I have a fever
• У мене нежить = I have a runny nose

Using я маю нежить is grammatically possible, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech for this kind of condition.

Мене is the genitive form of я.

In the expression у/в мене meaning I have / with me / at my place / in my case, Ukrainian uses:

• у/в
  • genitive

So:

• я = I
• мене = me / of me (genitive or accusative form, depending on context)

Here it is part of the fixed possessive/state expression у/в мене.

Both в мене and у мене are correct.

Ukrainian often alternates between в and у to make pronunciation smoother. This is called euphony.

So you may hear:

• У мене нежить
• В мене нежить

They mean the same thing. Speakers choose the version that sounds better in context.

A learner should recognize both and eventually get used to picking whichever is easier to say.

Нежить means a runny nose or nasal congestion/catarrh.

It is more specific than застуда:

• нежить = runny nose
• застуда = a cold

So if the meaning shown to the learner is about needing a tissue, нежить is a very logical word here.

Беру is the imperfective present-tense form of брати (to take).

It is used here because the sentence describes a habitual or repeated action:

• When I have a runny nose, I take a tissue.

This is not about one single completed future action. It is about what I generally do.

Compare:

• я беру серветку = I take / I am taking / I usually take
• я візьму серветку = I will take a tissue / I’ll take a tissue

So беру is the natural choice for a general habit.

Because it is the direct object of the verb беру (I take), and feminine nouns like серветка usually take the accusative singular ending -у.

So:

• nominative: серветка
• accusative: серветку

This is a very common pattern:

• книга → книгу
• ручка → ручку
• серветка → серветку

Since я беру що? (I take what?) → серветку, the accusative is required.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Common meanings of серветка include:

• napkin
• paper napkin
• tissue
• sometimes even cloth/wipe, depending on the situation

In this sentence, because the context is нежить (runny nose), English tissue is the most natural interpretation.

If you want to be very specific, native speakers might also use other words in certain contexts, but серветка works well here.

Because Коли в мене нежить is a subordinate clause, and it comes before the main clause.

So the structure is:

• subordinate clause: Коли в мене нежить
• main clause: я беру серветку

Ukrainian, like English, normally separates this kind of introductory subordinate clause with a comma:

• Коли в мене нежить, я беру серветку.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible.

For example, you could also say:

• Я беру серветку, коли в мене нежить.

That still means the same basic thing:

• I take a tissue when I have a runny nose.

The version with коли first feels slightly more natural if you want to set up the condition/situation first:

• When I have a runny nose, ...

Ukrainian often uses word order to shift emphasis rather than to completely change grammar.

It most naturally describes a general habit.

That comes from:

• коли = when/whenever
• беру = imperfective present, often used for repeated or usual actions

So the sentence is understood as:

• Whenever I have a runny nose, I take a tissue.

If you wanted to talk about a specific moment right now, Ukrainian would usually make that clearer from context or by using different wording.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Коли в мене нежить, я беру серветку.
• Коли у мене нежить, я беру серветку.

The choice between в and у is mainly about sound and flow, not meaning.

Usually, є is omitted here.

So Ukrainian normally says:

• У мене нежить

not:

• У мене є нежить

Why? Because in present-tense sentences of this type, Ukrainian often leaves out є when talking about states or possession in a simple way.

So:

• У мене книга can mean I have a book
• У мене нежить means I have a runny nose

Adding є is possible in some contexts, especially for emphasis or clarity, but it is not the usual choice in this sentence.