30.2: Using Adverbs

litttle white dog lying on a thick rug

30.2: Using Adverbs

In this module, you will learn how to use deadjectival adverbs in different types of sentences and where to place them in a sentence.

Завдання 1

Read the captions below and pay attention to the bolded words. Then answer the questions that follow.

a man and a woman standing in front of a painting. the man is looking at the painting and talking with the woman.
– Ти зна́єш, що Лари́са ві́льно розмовля́є англі́йською та німе́цькою?
– Так, давно́ зна́ю.
– Вона́ зроби́ла презента́цію англі́йською, а по́тім говори́ла з кліє́нтом німе́цькою!
a group of people are siting, and standing, around a wooden bench. There is a woman looking back towards the camera while holding a booklet and smiling.
– Андрі́ю, ти зна́єш, що плану́є кома́нда Яри́ни?
– Не зна́ю. Вони́ розмовля́ли ду́же ти́хо, і я нічо́го не почу́в. А по́тім вони́ мене́ поба́чили!
Важли́во!

Deadjectival adverbs usually come right before the words they modify, whether those words are verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. However, when a deadjectival adverb modifies a verb, the adverb can appear after the verb for special emphasis, as in the second dialogue above:

Вони́ розмовля́ли ду́же ти́хо, і я нічо́го не почу́в.
(They spoke very softly, so I didn’t hear anything.)

This often happens in imperative sentences that emphasize how the action should be performed. In such instances, the adverb can be placed last in the sentence for special emphasis:

Не їдь так шви́дко! (Don’t drive so fast!)

Завдання 2

Select the question that would have elicited the response that you hear.

Завдання 3

Complete the short exchanges below with the most appropriate words from the bank. Think about where the logical emphasis should be in determining the correct word order.

Завдання 4

Examine the captions below and answer the questions that follow.

close up of a pine tree covered in ice and snow
Зима́. Сніг. Хо́лодно.
close up of a field of sunflowers
Лі́то! Сього́дні со́нячно і га́ряче.
Ціка́во!

When used without verbs, deadjectival adverbs denote states or conditions in so-called impersonal sentences (equivalent to the English “it’s …”). Such sentences can consist of as little as a single adverb:

Га́ряче! (It’s hot [here]!)
Тут ну́дно. (It’s boring here.)

To express a past state or condition, the neuter past-tense form of the verb бу́ти is added to an adverb (see module 24.1 for more examples of this structure):

– Як твої́ кані́кули? – Було́ ціка́во! (It was interesting!)

To express a future state or condition, the future-tense воно́ form of the verb бу́ти is added to an adverb:

Їдь з на́ми на мо́ре! Бу́де ве́село! (It will be fun!)

Завдання 5

Complete the short texts below by providing the most likely follow-up sentence.

Завдання 6

Mark all deadjectival adverbs in the conversation below. Then answer the questions that follow.


Важли́во!

When states or conditions are expressed by means of adverbs, one can also specify who is in this state or condition. The dative case is used for this person/animal:

Нам було́ ду́же ціка́во. (Literally: To us [it] was very interesting.)
Ма́мі хо́лодно. (Literally: To Mom [it is] cold.)
Мені́ га́ряче. (Literally: To me [it is] hot.)

For dative-case forms of nouns, see modules 11.1 to 11.4. For dative-case forms of pronouns, see module 15.1.

Завдання 7

You will hear six statements. Select the person/animal most likely to experience the state or condition mentioned.

Мо́вний пазл

Look through the activities you have just completed and choose the correct statements below to summarize what you have learned.

А тепер тест!

Fill in the blanks in the dialogue below with the most appropriate words from the bank.

Images courtesy of Andriy Yarygin , Andriy Yarygin , Oleksandra Wallo, The Nigmatic, Audrius Sutkus.