| Grammar Notes: Word-by-Word Breakdown * Кожна (Kozhna) - *Each, Every*. An adjective that describes the noun that follows. * людина (Lyudyna) - *Person, Human*. A singular, feminine noun. The subject of the sentence. * - (—) - A dash. Used here to connect the subject with its definition, similar to "is" or "means". * це (tse) - *This is*. A demonstrative pronoun used to identify or define something. * місяць (misyats') - *Moon*. A singular, masculine noun. * , (,) - A comma. Separates the two main clauses. * і (i) - *And*. A conjunction. * у (u) - *In*. A preposition. Here it is part of the phrase "у неї" (u neyi). * неї (neyi) - *Her*. The genitive case form of the pronoun вона (vona - *she*). The preposition "у" requires the genitive case. * є (ye) - *Has, There is*. The third person singular form of the verb бути (buty - *to be*). It indicates possession or existence. * темний (temnyy) - *Dark*. An adjective in the masculine nominative case, describing "бік". * бік (bik) - *Side*. A singular, masculine noun. * , (,) - A comma. Introduces the relative clause. * який (yakyi) - *Which*. A relative pronoun, masculine singular to agree with "бік". * вона (vona) - *She*. A personal pronoun, the subject of the second clause. * ніколи (nikoly) - *Never*. An adverb of time. * нікому (nikomu) - *To No One*. The dative case form of ніхто (nikhto - *no one*). The dative case is often used to indicate the person to whom an action is directed. * не (ne) - *Not*. The negative particle. * показує (pokazuye) - *Shows*. The third person singular form of the verb показувати (pokazuvaty - *to show*). Grammar Explanation 1. Defining with "— це": The structure "[Subject] — це [Definition]" is a common way to define or equate one thing with another in Ukrainian. It translates directly to "[Subject] — this is [Definition]". Here, "людина" (a person) is defined as "місяць" (a moon). 2. Possession with "у + Genitive + є": To express possession (to have), Ukrainian uses the construction у [кого?] (in whom?) + є (there is). "У неї є" literally means "In her there is", which translates to "She has". 3. Double Negative: Ukrainian grammar requires double (or multiple) negatives. The sentence uses three negative words: ніколи (never), нікому (to no one), and не (not). In correct Ukrainian, this is not a mistake but a rule. The verb of negation (не показує) must be accompanied by negative pronouns (нікому) and adverbs (ніколи). 4. Relative Clause: The clause "який вона ніколи нікому не показує" (which she never shows to anyone) is a relative clause that describes the noun "бік" (side). The relative pronoun "який" (which) agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to ("бік" is masculine, so "який" is masculine). General Grammar Tip In Ukrainian, the verb "to have" does not exist in the same way as in English. Instead of "I have a book", you say "У мене є книга", which literally means "By me, there is a book". This structure У [person in genitive case] є [object] is used for all persons (У тебе є, у нього/неї є, у нас є, etc.). Related Words * Сонце (sontse) - *Sun* * Світлий (svitlyy) - *Light, Bright* (the opposite of "темний") * Люди (lyudy) - *People* (plural of "людина") * Показувати (pokazuvaty) - *To show* (Imperfective infinitive) * Показати (pokazaty) - *To show* (Perfective infinitive) |
