LingoflyThe apostrophe: v'yikhaty, kar'iera, oboviazky
The apostrophe is not decoration and not an accent mark. It says the next ia, iu, ie or yi starts with a y-glide, like the y of yes. The consonant before it stays hard. Without the apostrophe the consonant would soften. The soft sign does the exact opposite — it softens: sil, den, palto. For example: “Компʼютер (kompiuter) стоїть (stoit) у (U) підʼїзді” (pidizdi) — The computer stands in the entryway. A rule from the Ukrainian course: worked out on…
How it works
The apostrophe is not decoration and not an accent mark. It says the next ia, iu, ie or yi starts with a y-glide, like the y of yes. The consonant before it stays hard. Without the apostrophe the consonant would soften. The soft sign does the exact opposite — it softens: sil, den, palto.
After the lip letters b, p, v, m, f the apostrophe is the only option. No soft sign ever follows them. Piat five, m'iaso meat, zdrov'ia health, oboviazky duties, v'yikhaty, komp'iuter, pam'iat.
After r at the end of a syllable: kar'iera, kur'ier, bur'ian. But buriak, the beetroot, goes without — that r is soft.
After a consonant prefix: z'yikhaty, pid'yizd, ob'yekt, roz'yasnyty, z'yavytysia. English apostrophes mark possession; this one marks pronunciation.
Table
| where | example | why |
|---|---|---|
| after b p v m f | m'iaso | the lip sound stays hard |
| after a hard r | kar'iera | r refuses to soften |
| after a prefix | pid'yizd | the seam between the parts |
| the soft sign does the opposite | sil | the consonant softens |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why Ukrainian writes m'iaso and piat'?
After the lip letters b, p, v, m, f the apostrophe is the only option. No soft sign ever follows them. Piat five, m'iaso meat, zdrov'ia health, oboviazky duties, v'yikhaty, komp'iuter, pam'iat.
What does it look like in a Ukrainian example sentence?
“Компʼютер (kompiuter) стоїть (stoit) у (U) підʼїзді” (pidizdi) (Kompiuter stoit u pidizdi) — The computer stands in the entryway. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.