Understanding the Ukrainian Genitive Case
In Ukrainian, the Genitive Case is used to show possession, quantity, and absence. It's like saying 'of something' or 'something's' in English.
Important Points
- Showing possession: It's like saying 'the book of the girl' or 'the girl's book'.
- Indicating quantity: Used with numbers and words like 'many', 'few', 'some'.
- Expressing absence: Used with words like 'without'.
- Used after certain prepositions: Like 'біля' (near), 'після' (after), 'з' (from).
- Describing part of a whole: Like 'a piece of cake'.
When you use the Genitive Case, the endings of words change. This is because Ukrainian is an inflected language, which means the form of the word changes to show its role in the sentence.
Examples
- Це книга дівчинки. (This is the girl's book.)
- У мене немає цукру. (I have no sugar.)
- Я хочу шматок торта. (I want a piece of cake.)
Let's look at how words change in the Genitive Case. Nouns, adjectives, and pronouns all have different endings in the Genitive Case. These endings depend on the gender and number of the noun.
Important Points
- Masculine singular nouns often end in -а or -я.
- Feminine singular nouns often end in -и or -і.
- Neuter singular nouns often end in -а or -я.
- Plural nouns often end in -ів, -ей, or -ів.
Examples
- Книга брата. (Brother's book.)
- Без молока. (Without milk.)
- Після школи. (After school.)