Indefinites

A few indefinite adverbs of manner are found as well:

якось somehow, in a manner unknown to the speaker

як-небудь in any manner, indifferently, carelessly

як-будь in any manner

будь-як in any manner

ADVERBIALIZED GERUNDS AND PARTICIPLES

Present – or imperfective – gerunds, describe an action that is the setting for another action: ‘While X was taking place, Y (and Z) happened’. A few of these gerunds have been reanalysed as adverbs focus­ing not on the action, but on the position of the actor during another action. The three adverbs of this kind most commonly encountered are forms of сидіти ‘sit’, стояти ‘stand’, and лежати ‘lie’; their identity as adverbs is a function (i) of stress, which is different from the place of stress in the gerund, and (ii) of their position in a sentence.

Gerund Adverb

Сидячи сидячи стоячи стоячи лежачи лежачи

Compare the following examples, in which the gerund occurs with a verbal adjunct, the adverb on its own; note that punctuation can reveal the differ­ence as well – particularly when a sentence begins with the gerund clause.

Gerund: Сидячи в кріслі, він читав газету.

(While) sitting in an armchair, he read the newspaper.

Adverb: Він читав сидячи.

He read in a sitting position (seated).

Gerund: Стоячи в черзі, вони розмовляли.

(While) standing in a queue, they had a conversation.

Adverb: Батько випив каву стоячи.

Father drank up (his) coffee standing up (in a standing position).

Gerund: Ольга слухала радіо лежачи на дивані.

Ol’ha listened to the radio (while) lying on the sofa.

Adverb: He їж лежачи!

Don’t eat in a lying position/lying down!

A very few present active participles have also been adverbialized by affixing the grammatical marker –e; thus:

рішуче decisively, decidedly

боляче painfully, aching

терпляче patiently, with patience

нетерпляче impatiently

ADVERBIAL COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives can be used adverbially in the form of the nominative singular neuter; they are used as one would use any other deadjectival adverb:

краще better

найкраще best

раніше earlier, former

скоріше more quickly

найскоріше most quickly

гірше, згірше worse

більше-менше more or less

найдальше farthest

наймерзенніше most despicably

холодніше colder, more coldly

ясніше more clearly

міцніше more strongly, more firmly

щонайсильніше in the strongest way possible

якнайшвидше with the greatest speed possible

якнайкраще in the best way possible

Forms based on comparatives or superlatives with the formant –іше can occur without final –e, although the full form is preferred with most adjectives; compare:

частішe more often

згіршe worse

скорішe more quickly

ранішe earlier, former

більш-менш more or less

Adverbial modal constructions

(NECESSITY, OBLIGATION, POSSIBILITY)

A number of crucial forms that can be described as adverbial in nature have to do with expressing the need, obligation, or possibility of carrying out an action. These forms (few in number but central to the language) are used in impersonal constructions; in other words, they are used without a subject, but when the person involved is present in the sentence, that form will occur in the dative case. The words are:

Треба. One must; it is necessary.

Потрібно. It is necessary.

Слід. One must, ought; it is necessary, worth . . .

Необхідно. It is absolutely necessary.

Можна. One can, may.

He можна. One cannot, may not.

Можливо. It is possible (physically); (secondary meaning: perhaps,

possibly).

Неможливо. It is impossible (physically).

Examples:

Нам треба (потрібно) негайно відповісти на його запитання.

We must answer his question immediately.

Студентам слід записувати все, що говорить викладач.

Students are supposed to (must) write down everything the lecturer says.

Слухай, необхідно (тобі) повідомити поліцейського про цей випадок.

Listen, it is absolutely necessary (for you) to inform the policeman about this accident.

Вибачте, чи можна тут курити? На жаль, не можна.

Excuse me, is one allowed to smoke here? Unfortunately it’s not allowed.

Чи можна мені піти додому до кінця лекції?

May I go home before the end of the lecture?

Можливо, (що) піде дощ.