Травень — теплий місяць.

warm

Breakdown of Травень — теплий місяць.

• місяць: the month
• травень: May (month)

Questions & Answers about Травень — теплий місяць.

Why is there a dash in Травень — теплий місяць instead of a word for is?

In Ukrainian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense in simple statements like this.

So:

• Травень — теплий місяць = May is a warm month

The dash shows the link between the subject and the predicate, where English would use is.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Травень = May
• теплий місяць = a warm month

This kind of sentence is very common in Ukrainian.

Could I also say Травень є теплим місяцем?

Yes, you can, but it sounds more formal or bookish.

Compare:

• Травень — теплий місяць → the most natural everyday version
• Травень є теплим місяцем → more explicit, more formal

Notice that if you use є, the predicate is usually put in the instrumental case:

• теплим місяцем = a warm month in instrumental

So you should not normally say:

• Травень є теплий місяць ✘

The standard form with є is:

• Травень є теплим місяцем ✔

What case are Травень and місяць in here?