Typological Features of the Adverbial Clauses of Time (часу)

These temporal clauses in the contrasted languages perform the function of the temporal adverbial modifier of the action or state expressed іn the principal clause. Temporal adverbial clauses may be introduced іn English and Ukrainian by the following conjunctions or relative adverbs, adverbial phrases:

as, as soon as, before, after, till, як, як тільки, перед тим як, після

until, when, whenever, while, now після того як, доки/поки,

that, the time that, the day (that), тим часом, тоді як, наступного

the moment, next time, directly, im- дня, на тоді коли, відтоді як, від

mediately, etc. коли, щоразу, коли.

Every conjunction or relative adverb/adverbial phrase in complex sentences of both languages adds some shade of meaning to the temporal relation. Due to this, the complex sentences in English and Ukrainian may express the following meanings:

a) the time of action/state in the principal clause which is mostly indicated by the conjunctions/connectives as, as soon as, before, till, until, when, etc. corresponding to the Ukrainian як, коли, доки, поки, до того як, перед тим як, до того часу... доки/аж доки:

I'll talk to him as soon as I get break. (Hailey)

When the cat is away the mice will play. (Proverb)

Wouldn't you like a cup of hot chocolate before you go? (Salinger)

Я поговорю з ним, як тільки матиму перерву. Коли кота нема в хаті, миші бігають по столу.

Може б, випив чашку гарячого шоколаду/какао, перш ніж підеш?

b) the expressed meaning may indicate the temporal limits or the period of duration of the action or state in the matrix clause, which can be conveyed by the following conjunctions and adverbial connectors: till, until, since, ever since, etc. Or in Ukrainian: доки, поки, відколи, відтоді як, до того часу як, доти... доки, etc.:

We stayed there until night fell.

(O'Dell)

Never tell a thing to a woman

till it's done. (Priestley)

Ми просиділи там, доки (не) настала ніч.

Ніколи не розкривай жінці свій задум, доки ти не виконав його.

The temporal subordinate clauses expressing common relations in English and Ukrainian equivalents may occupy either the front position or the concluding position in the sentence:

When we reached the landing, all

the old women turned their heads...

(Greene)

You were sleeping when I left.

(Hemingway)

Коли ми підійшли до дверей, усі

старі жінки повернули в наш

бік голови...

Ти ще спав, коли я пішов з

дому.

Apart from a clearly temporal meaning these subclauses may sometimes bear some different additional implicit meanings. The latter may be observed in the complex sentences below where the connectors may be substituted, due to the inherent meaning of these clauses, for some other

conjunction. Cf. "I shall always come to you whenever (if?) I'm ill." (O'Dell) She made a little curtsy as (since?) she bowed. (Mitchell) Similar inherent meanings of condition and cause can be observed in the Ukrainian equivalents of these sentences too: "Я завжди приїжджатиму до тебе, коли тільки/якщо захворію". Вона висловила й своє вшанування, коли (оскільки) зробила реверанс.

English and Ukrainian temporal clauses may be joined by adverbial word-groups or adverbs which perform a joining function. The way of connection between such clauses then is close to asyndetic. Cf. "I get excited every time I see a piano." (Saroyan) Directly I had done it I knew I had made a mistake. (Hornby) Similarly in the Ukrainian complex sentences of the type: Ледве ключар відчиняє двері, в них вривається юрба відвідувачів. (Л. Українка) ...нехай тільки станеться кому з нашого села пригода — (Максим Гримач) головою ляже, а врятує. (М. Вовчок)