Підказка коротка.

In Ukrainian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• Підказка коротка. = The hint is short.

You do not normally say Підказка є коротка in standard everyday Ukrainian for a simple sentence like this.

Compare:

• Він студент. = He is a student.
• Кава гаряча. = The coffee is hot.
• Підказка коротка. = The hint is short.

Because коротка agrees with підказка, and підказка is a feminine singular noun.

The adjective короткий changes form to match the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

Here are the nominative singular forms:

• masculine: короткий
• feminine: коротка
• neuter: коротке

Since підказка is feminine, the correct form is коротка.

A very common clue is the ending -а. Many Ukrainian nouns ending in -а are feminine.

So:

• підказка = feminine
• therefore the adjective must also be feminine:
  • коротка

This is a useful general pattern, though not every noun follows it perfectly.

Both are in the nominative singular.

Why?

• підказка is the subject of the sentence.
• коротка is a predicate adjective describing that subject.

So the basic structure is:

• [subject in nominative] + [adjective agreeing with it]

Here:

• підказка — nominative singular, feminine
• коротка — nominative singular, feminine

No. Коротка here is the regular feminine form of the adjective короткий.

For learners, it may look like a “short form” because in English we just say short, but grammatically in Ukrainian this is simply the normal feminine adjective form.

So:

• dictionary form: короткий
• feminine form: коротка

Yes, but the meaning or emphasis can shift a little.

• Підказка коротка.
  = The hint is short.
  This is a normal sentence with підказка as the thing being talked about.

• Коротка підказка.
  usually means a short hint or short hint
  Here the adjective is directly attached to the noun, so it sounds more like a noun phrase than a complete statement.

So if you want a full sentence meaning The hint is short, Підказка коротка is the natural choice.

Yes. That means This hint is short.

Adding ця makes the noun more specific:

• Підказка коротка. = The hint is short / A hint is short depending on context
• Ця підказка коротка. = This hint is short

Since Ukrainian has no articles like the and a, words like ця can help make something more definite.

A practical pronunciation guide is:

• підка́зка — stress on ка́
• коро́тка — stress on ро́

Approximate English-style help:

• pid-KAZ-ka ko-ROT-ka

A few notes:

• и is not exactly like English ee or ih; it is a separate Ukrainian vowel.
• к is a clear hard k sound.
• Ukrainian р is rolled or tapped.

Not usually in this exact form.

• Підказка коротка. is read as a complete sentence: The hint is short.
• Коротка підказка. is the form that means a short hint as a noun phrase.

So word order helps show whether you mean:

• a statement: Підказка коротка
• a phrase: коротка підказка

It can overlap with all of those depending on context, but hint is often the closest everyday translation.

Common nuance:

• підказка = a hint, prompt, cue, or helpful suggestion
• in games/software, it can also mean a tip or hint
• in some contexts, clue may fit, but not always

So the exact English word depends on the situation, even though the Ukrainian sentence structure stays the same.