Zero present copula

Level 1Sounds Like nulʹova zv'âzka

Ukrainian does not use a word for 'am', 'is', or 'are' in most present-tense sentences. Instead of saying 'He is a doctor,' you say 'He doctor.'

How It Works

In English, we always need the verb 'to be' (I am, you are, it is). In Ukrainian, this link is 'zeroed out' in the present tense.

1. Basic Usage
When the subject is a pronoun like я (I) or він (he/she/it), you simply place the subject next to the predicate. No dash is usually needed:

  • Я студент. (I [am] a student.)
  • Вона лікарка. (She [is] a doctor.)

However, a dash is mandatory after a pronoun if there is a strong logical emphasis, pause, or contrast: Я — Україна! (I am Ukraine!) or Ти — моє життя. (You are my life.)

2. Mandatory Dash (Noun-Noun)
According to standard orthography, a dash (—) is mandatory in writing when both the subject and the predicate are nouns in the nominative case:

  • Київ — столиця. (Kyiv is the capital.)
  • Мій брат — програміст. (My brother is a programmer.)

3. Infinitives and Numerals
A dash is also required if the subject and predicate are infinitives or numerals:

  • П'ять і п'ять — десять. (Five and five is ten.)
  • Читати — багато знати. (To read is to know a lot.)

4. Identification with 'це', 'то', 'ось', 'значить'
A dash is mandatory when using demonstrative words like це, то, ось, or значить to identify something, even if the subject is a pronoun:

  • Київ — це столиця. (Kyiv — this is the capital.)
  • Сміле слово — то наші гармати. (A bold word — that is our artillery.)

5. Negation and Exceptions
When you use the negative particle не (not) before a noun predicate, the dash is typically omitted (e.g., Серце не камінь. - The heart is not a stone). However, if the subject and predicate are infinitives, the dash remains mandatory even with negation: Життя прожити — не поле перейти. (To live a life is not to cross a field.) Additionally, if the word order is inverted so the predicate comes before the subject, the dash is omitted (e.g., Хороша штука життя. - Life is a good thing).

6. Intervening Words
If a secondary sentence member (like a dative pronoun or an adverb) stands between the subject and a noun predicate, the dash is omitted (e.g., Київ тепер столиця. - Kyiv is now the capital, or Хліб усьому голова. - Bread is the head of everything).

7. Adjectives and Comparisons
No dash is needed for adjective predicates (Погода гарна. - The weather is good) or when using comparative particles like як, мов, наче (Очі як море. - Eyes are like the sea). However, a dash can be used with adjectives or pronouns for special logical emphasis.

8. When to use 'є'?
The overt word є is used for possession, to emphasize existence (There is...), or in formal scientific and philosophical definitions (e.g., Мова є засобом спілкування. - Language is a means of communication). Note that when the overt 'є' is used in formal definitions, the predicate noun typically shifts from the nominative case to the instrumental case. In everyday identity statements, it is omitted.

Examples (6)

  1. Я українець.

    I am Ukrainian.

    Word by Word: I Ukrainian.

    A simple identity statement using a pronoun. No verb or dash is required.

  2. Київ — столиця України.

    Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine.

    Word by Word: Kyiv — capital of Ukraine.

    A dash is mandatory in standard writing when both the subject and predicate are nouns in the nominative case.

  3. П'ять плюс п'ять — десять.

    Five plus five is ten.

    Word by Word: Five plus five — ten.

    A dash is required when the subject and predicate are numerals.

  4. Жити — значить діяти.

    To live is to act.

    Word by Word: To live — means to act.

    A dash is mandatory when the subject and predicate are infinitives.

  5. Життя прожити — не поле перейти.

    Living a life is not like crossing a field.

    Word by Word: Life to live — not field to cross.

    Even with negation, the dash remains mandatory if the subject and predicate are infinitives.

  6. Очі як небо.

    The eyes are like the sky.

    Word by Word: Eyes like sky.

    The dash is typically omitted when the predicate is introduced by comparative particles like 'як' (like).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'є' as a direct translation for 'am/is/are' in simple identity.

    Я є студент.
    Я студент.

    While technically understandable, adding 'є' here sounds unnatural and like a translation error from English or German.

  • Using the Instrumental case for the predicate in the present tense.

    Він лікарем.
    Він лікар.

    In the present tense with a zero copula, the noun must be in the Nominative case. The Instrumental appears after past or future forms of 'бути' (e.g., 'Він був лікарем') and, in formal style, after an explicit 'є'.

  • Omitting 'є' in possession sentences.

    У мене машина.
    У мене є машина.

    Don't confuse identity (A is B) with possession (I have A). In possession, the word 'є' is usually required to show that the object exists in your possession.

How It Connects

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Zero present copulaLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand the zero copula, you need to know how to form basic subjects using the nominative case and personal pronouns, as these sentences typically consist of a subject and a noun or adjective without a linking verb.

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Patterns that build on this one.

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