LingoflyHow to get there in Ukrainian
A passerby explains the way through the courtyard in Ukrainian. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Підкажіть (pidkazhit), як (yak) звідси (zvidsy) дійти (diity) до (Do) аптеки (apteky).» — Tell me, how do I get to the pharmacy from here?; «Ідіть (Idit) навпростець (navprostets) через (cherez) двір (dvir), так (tak) ближче (blyzhche).» — Go straight through the courtyard; it's closer that way.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a passerby explains the way through the courtyard. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Підкажіть, як звідси дійти до аптеки.Pidkazhit, yak zvidsy diity do apteky.Tell me, how do I get to the pharmacy from here?
- Idit navprostets cherez dvir, tak blyzhche.Go straight through the courtyard; it's closer that way.
- A tam ne hlukhyi kut? Ya vzhe raz zablukav.Is it a dead end there? I got lost once already.
Lines one by one
| Ukrainian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Підкажіть (pidkazhit), як (yak) звідси (zvidsy) дійти (diity) до (Do) аптеки (apteky). | Pidkazhit, yak zvidsy diity do apteky. | Tell me, how do I get to the pharmacy from here? |
| Ідіть (Idit) навпростець (navprostets) через (cherez) двір (dvir), так (tak) ближче (blyzhche). | Idit navprostets cherez dvir, tak blyzhche. | Go straight through the courtyard; it's closer that way. |
| А (a) там (tam) не (ne) глухий кут (hlukhyi kut)? Я (ya) вже (vzhe) раз (raz) заблукав. | A tam ne hlukhyi kut? Ya vzhe raz zablukav. | Is it a dead end there? I got lost once already. |
| Ні (ni). Обійдіть будинок (budynok) збоку (zboku) і (i) побачите вивіску. | Ni. Obiidit budynok zboku i pobachyte vyvisku. | No. Go around the house on the side and you'll see the sign. |
| Далеко (daleko)? Часу (chasu) геть обмаль (het obmal). | Daleko? Chasu het obmal. | Far? I'm pressed for time. |
| Хвилини (khvylyny) три (try). Аптека (apteka) просто (prosto) попереду (poperedu). | Khvylyny try. Apteka prosto poperedu. | Three minutes or so. The pharmacy is straight ahead. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Ukrainian in this situation?
“Підкажіть (pidkazhit), як (yak) звідси (zvidsy) дійти (diity) до (Do) аптеки (apteky).” (Pidkazhit, yak zvidsy diity do apteky.) — Tell me, how do I get to the pharmacy from here? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.