LingoflyKeeping the conversation on track in Ukrainian
A meeting drifts off topic in Ukrainian. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Зачекайте (Zachekaite), я не договорив (ya ne dohovoryv).» — Wait, I haven't finished; «Вибач, що перебив (Vybach, shcho perebyv). Продовжуй (Prodovzhui).» — Sorry for interrupting. Go on. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a meeting drifts off topic. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Вибач, що перебив. Продовжуй.Vybach, shcho perebyv. Prodovzhui.Sorry for interrupting. Go on.
- Prostishe kazhuchy, termin my ne vytrymaiemo.Simply put, we won't make the deadline.
- Dozvolte dodaty: mozhna perenesty zustrich iz kliientom.May I add: we could move the meeting with the client.
- Tse do spravy ne stosuietsia. Povernimosia do temy.That's beside the point. Let's get back to the topic.
- Гаразд. Підсумуймо: просимо тиждень відстрочки.Harazd. Pidsumuimo: prosymo tyzhden vidstrochky.Good. To sum up: we ask for a week's extension.
Lines one by one
| Ukrainian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Зачекайте (Zachekaite), я не договорив (ya ne dohovoryv). | Zachekaite, ya ne dohovoryv. | Wait, I haven't finished. |
| Вибач, що перебив (Vybach, shcho perebyv). Продовжуй (Prodovzhui). | Vybach, shcho perebyv. Prodovzhui. | Sorry for interrupting. Go on. |
| Простіше кажучи (prostishe kazhuchy), термін (termin) ми (my) не (ne) витримаємо. | Prostishe kazhuchy, termin my ne vytrymaiemo. | Simply put, we won't make the deadline. |
| Дозвольте додати (dozvolte dodaty): можна (mozhna) перенести зустріч (perenesty zustrich) із (iz) клієнтом. | Dozvolte dodaty: mozhna perenesty zustrich iz kliientom. | May I add: we could move the meeting with the client. |
| Це до справи не стосується (tse do spravy ne stosuietsia). Повернімося до теми (povernimosia do temy). | Tse do spravy ne stosuietsia. Povernimosia do temy. | That's beside the point. Let's get back to the topic. |
| Гаразд (harazd). Підсумуймо (pidsumuimo): просимо (Prosymo) тиждень (tyzhden) відстрочки. | Harazd. Pidsumuimo: prosymo tyzhden vidstrochky. | Good. To sum up: we ask for a week's extension. |
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?
“Зачекайте (Zachekaite), я не договорив (ya ne dohovoryv).” (Zachekaite, ya ne dohovoryv.) — Wait, I haven't finished. 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.