The -nnia suffix: zvilnennia, vidriadzhennia, zavdannia
Where English builds -tion and -ing nouns, Ukrainian reaches for the suffix -nnia/-ennia. It is the most productive way to name an action. Likuvaty → likuvannia treatment, zvilnyty → zvilnennia a layoff, trenuvaty → trenuvannia training. Stazhuvatysia → stazhuvannia an internship, perevezty → perevezennia shipping, vidriadyty → vidriadzhennia a business trip. Zavdasty → zavdannia a task, zaprosyty → zaproshennia an…
How it works
Where English builds -tion and -ing nouns, Ukrainian reaches for the suffix -nnia/-ennia. It is the most productive way to name an action. Likuvaty → likuvannia treatment, zvilnyty → zvilnennia a layoff, trenuvaty → trenuvannia training. Stazhuvatysia → stazhuvannia an internship, perevezty → perevezennia shipping, vidriadyty → vidriadzhennia a business trip. Zavdasty → zavdannia a task, zaprosyty → zaproshennia an invitation, poiasnyty → poiasnennia an explanation.
All such words are neuter, and the plural looks identical. Only the word next to them tells them apart. Odne zavdannia one task, but skladni zavdannia complex tasks.
The practical use is a decoder. Meet an unknown word in -nnia, strip the suffix, and you almost always find a verb you know. Pereskladannia → sklasty, oblashchuvannia → oblashchuvaty.
Table
| verb | its -nnia noun | in English |
|---|---|---|
| likuvaty | likuvannia | treatment |
| zvilnyty | zvilnennia | a layoff |
| vidriadyty | vidriadzhennia | a business trip |
| zaprosyty | zaproshennia | an invitation |
By example
- Лікування триває два тижніThe treatment goes on for two weeks
- Завдання на тиждень уже готовіThe tasks for the week are already ready
- Відрядження перенесли на березеньThe business trip got moved to March
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
Ukrainian -nnia nouns: likuvannia, zavdannia?
Where English builds -tion and -ing nouns, Ukrainian reaches for the suffix -nnia/-ennia. It is the most productive way to name an action. Likuvaty → likuvannia treatment, zvilnyty → zvilnennia a layoff, trenuvaty → trenuvannia training. Stazhuvatysia → stazhuvannia an internship, perevezty →…
What does it look like in an example sentence Ukrainian?
“Лікування триває два тижні” — The treatment goes on for two weeks. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.