бракувати + Dative + Genitive
Бракувати with Dative Experiencer and Genitive Lack
Use бракує (present) or бракувало (past) to say an entity lacks something. The experiencer is in the Dative case (кому/чому), and the missing thing is in the Genitive case (кого/чого).
How It Works
The verb бракувати is a classic way to express that something is missing or insufficient. It is often preferred in literary and formal Ukrainian over literal translations from other languages.
1. Grammatical Structure:
- The Experiencer: The entity (person or thing) that feels the lack is in the Dative case (кому/чому).
- The Verb: It is used impersonally. In the present tense, it is always бракує. In the past, it is бракувало (neuter singular).
- The Object: The thing or person that is missing is in the Genitive case (кого/чого). This is the verb's direct government, often called the Genitive of Lack.
2. Nuance and Usage:
While similar to не вистачати, бракувати often implies a subjective feeling that something is incomplete or that a specific quality is missing for a whole to be perfect. It is frequently used with abstract nouns like 'courage', 'patience', or 'experience', but can also apply to concrete objects or people.
3. Perfective Aspect:
If you want to say an entity 'ran out' of something (a completed event), use the perfective form забракнути (e.g., нам забракло сил - we ran out of strength; статті забракло аргументів - the article lacked arguments).
Examples (4)
- Мені бракує часу на відпочинок.
I lack time for rest.
Word by Word: To me lacks of time for rest.
'Мені' is Dative, and 'часу' is Genitive. The verb 'бракує' remains in the 3rd person singular.
- Йому завжди бракувало терпіння.
He always lacked patience.
Word by Word: To him always lacked patience.
In the past tense, the verb takes the neuter form 'бракувало' because it is impersonal.
- Цій статті бракує посилань на джерела.
This article lacks references to sources.
Word by Word: To this article lacks of references to sources.
'Статті' is the Dative experiencer (the thing that 'has' the lack), and 'посилань' is the Genitive plural object.
- Нам забракло сміливості це зробити.
We lacked the courage to do it.
Word by Word: To us lacked of courage this to do.
Here, the perfective 'забракло' is used to indicate a specific instance where courage was found wanting.
Common Mistakes
Using the experiencer as the Nominative subject.
Я бракую часу.Мені бракує часу.In this sense, 'бракувати' is impersonal. You cannot say 'I lack'; you must use the Dative case for the entity experiencing the lack.
Using the Accusative case for the missing object.
Мені бракує час.Мені бракує часу.The object of lack must always be in the Genitive case (кого/чого), not the Accusative.
Assuming only people can experience a lack.
Стаття бракує висновку.Статті бракує висновку.Inanimate entities can also be the experiencer of a lack; they must be placed in the Dative case (чому).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the 'бракувати кому чого' pattern, you need to understand how Ukrainian expresses experiences and lack. Specifically, you must be familiar with the dative case for the person affected (the experiencer) and the genitive case for the object that is missing or insufficient.
Related Patterns
- Experiencer Dative
This pattern uses the Dative case to mark the entity (person or thing) experiencing the lack.
Level 6 - потребувати + GenitiveПотребувати with Genitive
Another verb expressing need or lack that also governs the Genitive case as its direct object.
Level 5 - Perfective Aspect for Completed Results
The perfective form 'забракнути' is used to indicate that a lack has occurred as a completed event.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice бракувати + Dative + Genitive in Bubblegum
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