це + Nominative

Nominative After Це

Level 1Sounds Like nazivnij píslâ ce

In Ukrainian, to say 'This is...' or 'These are...', you use the word це followed by a noun in the Nominative case. Unlike English, you don't need a verb like 'is' or 'are' in the present tense.

How It Works

The construction це + noun is the most common way to identify or name something in Ukrainian.

  • Zero Copula: Ukrainian uses a zero present copula. This means the verb 'to be' (є) is usually omitted. Writing 'Це є...' is often a mistake influenced by English or other languages.
  • Frozen Form: Even though це looks like a neuter pronoun, in this specific identification role, it does not agree with the noun. You use це for a man, a woman, or a group of people.
  • Nominative Case: The noun following це must always be in the Nominative case (the dictionary form).
  • Punctuation: In simple spoken sentences, you just say the words. However, in formal definitions (e.g., 'Kyiv is the capital'), a dash (—) is often placed before це.

Examples (5)

  1. Це мій брат.

    This is my brother.

    Word by Word: This [is] my brother.

    Even though 'brother' is masculine, we use the frozen neuter form 'це'.

  2. Це наша вчителька.

    This is our teacher.

    Word by Word: This [is] our teacher.

    The pattern remains the same for feminine nouns.

  3. Це дуже гарні квіти.

    These are very beautiful flowers.

    Word by Word: This [is] very beautiful flowers.

    Ukrainian uses 'це' for both singular ('this is') and plural ('these are') identification.

  4. Хто це? — Це Тарас.

    Who is this? — This is Taras.

    Word by Word: Who this? — This Taras.

    Used in questions and answers to identify people.

  5. Київ — це столиця України.

    Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine.

    Word by Word: Kyiv — this [is] capital [of] Ukraine.

    In formal definitions, a dash is used before 'це'.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing 'це' to match the gender of the noun.

    Ця моя мама.
    Це моя мама.

    When identifying someone ('This IS my mom'), 'це' is frozen. 'Ця' would mean 'This mom [does something]' as an adjective.

  • Unnecessarily inserting the verb 'є' (is).

    Це є книга.
    Це книга.

    While 'є' exists, it is rarely used in neutral identification and sounds like a literal translation from English.

  • Using the wrong case for the noun.

    Це книжкою.
    Це книжка.

    Learners sometimes use the Instrumental case (книжкою) because it is used with 'to be' in the past tense, but the present tense identification always requires the Nominative.

How It Connects

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це + NominativeLevel 1Nominative After Це

Learn This First

To understand how to identify objects or people using 'це', you first need to be familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet and the concept of noun gender. Most importantly, you must understand the nominative case, as this is the form the noun takes when following 'це' in simple identification sentences.

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