потребувати + Genitive

Потребувати with Genitive

Level 5Sounds Like potrebuvati + rodovij

In Ukrainian, the verb потребувати (to need/require) is followed by a noun or pronoun in the genitive case (кого? чого?).

How It Works

The verb потребувати is the standard literary way to express necessity. It is an imperfective verb that describes a state of needing.

1. Case Government:
The most important rule is that the object must be in the genitive case.

  • Потребувати допомоги (Genitive) — To need help.
  • Потребувати води (Genitive) — To need water.

2. Usage vs. Impersonal Constructions:
While потребувати is a personal verb (conjugated for I, you, he, etc.), Ukrainian often uses impersonal constructions like мені треба or мені потрібно. Потребувати sounds slightly more formal or emphatic about the state of necessity.

3. Nouns vs. Infinitives:
In standard literary Ukrainian, потребувати is typically used with nouns or pronouns. It is rarely used with an infinitive. To express a need to perform an action, the construction мені треба + інфінітив is preferred.

4. Distinction from 'Вимагати':
Do not confuse потребувати with вимагати (to demand). Вимагати implies an active request or a categorical requirement, whereas потребувати implies a natural or situational need.

5. Perfective Contexts:
Since потребувати is imperfective and lacks a common perfective partner, speakers often use the phrase виникла потреба (a need arose) to express a completed change in state.

Examples (5)

  1. Проєкт потребує негайного фінансування.

    The project requires immediate funding.

    Word by Word: Project requires immediate funding.

    Here, 'фінансування' is in the genitive case as the object of 'потребує'.

  2. Хто здоров, той ліків не потребує.

    He who is healthy does not need medicine.

    Word by Word: Who healthy, that medicine not needs.

    A common proverb where 'ліків' (medicine) is in the genitive plural.

  3. Ця справа потребує вашого особистого втручання.

    This matter requires your personal intervention.

    Word by Word: This matter requires your personal intervention.

    Abstract nouns like 'втручання' (intervention) also take the genitive case.

  4. Рослини потребують води та світла.

    Plants need water and light.

    Word by Word: Plants need water and light.

    Both 'води' and 'світла' are in the genitive case.

  5. Я потребую твоєї поради.

    I need your advice.

    Word by Word: I need your advice.

    The possessive pronoun 'твоєї' and noun 'поради' are both in the genitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Accusative case instead of the Genitive.

    Я потребую допомогу.
    Я потребую допомоги.

    Learners often use the accusative (допомогу) because of English or Russian influence, but standard Ukrainian strictly requires the genitive (допомоги).

  • Adding the preposition 'в' (in).

    Він потребує в увазі.
    Він потребує уваги.

    Ukrainian does not use a preposition with this verb; it attaches directly to the genitive noun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

потребувати + GenitiveLevel 5Потребувати with Genitive

Learn This First

To learn the use of 'потребувати', you need to be comfortable with the present tense conjugation of regular -ати verbs and, most importantly, be able to form the genitive case for nouns, as this verb requires its object to be in the genitive rather than the accusative.

Words in This Pattern

потребувати