LingoflyAn argument at the meeting in Ukrainian
Two disagree and a third sums up in Ukrainian. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «На мою думку (na moiu dumku), треба (treba) відкласти (vidklasty) запуск.» — In my view, we should postpone the launch; «Не (ne) згоден (zghoden). Аргумент (arhument) лише (lyshe) один (odyn) — страх (strakh).» — I disagree. Your only argument is fear.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two disagree and a third sums up. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- На мою думку, треба відкласти запуск.Na moiu dumku, treba vidklasty zapusk.In my view, we should postpone the launch.
- Є факти. Опитування показало недоліки.Ye fakty. Opytuvannia pokazalo nedoliky.There are facts. A survey showed shortcomings.
- Порівняно з минулим разом це дрібниці.Porivniano z mynulym razom tse dribnytsi.Compared with last time these are trifles.
- Ya lyshusia pry svoii dumtsi, ale zaperechuvaty ne budu.I'll stick to my opinion, but I won't object.
- Тоді ухвалімо рішення й будемо враховувати ризики.Todi ukhvalimo rishennia y budemo vrakhovuvaty ryzyky.Then let's decide and factor in the risks.
Lines one by one
| Ukrainian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| На мою думку (na moiu dumku), треба (treba) відкласти (vidklasty) запуск. | Na moiu dumku, treba vidklasty zapusk. | In my view, we should postpone the launch. |
| Не (ne) згоден (zghoden). Аргумент (arhument) лише (lyshe) один (odyn) — страх (strakh). | Ne zghoden. Arhument lyshe odyn — strakh. | I disagree. Your only argument is fear. |
| Є (ye) факти. Опитування (opytuvannia) показало (pokazalo) недоліки. | Ye fakty. Opytuvannia pokazalo nedoliky. | There are facts. A survey showed shortcomings. |
| Порівняно з (porivniano z) минулим (mynulym) разом (razom) це (tse) дрібниці (dribnytsi). | Porivniano z mynulym razom tse dribnytsi. | Compared with last time these are trifles. |
| Я (ya) лишуся при (pry) своїй (svoii) думці (dumtsi), але (ale) заперечувати (zaperechuvaty) не (ne) буду (budu). | Ya lyshusia pry svoii dumtsi, ale zaperechuvaty ne budu. | I'll stick to my opinion, but I won't object. |
| Тоді (todi) ухвалімо рішення (Rishennia) й (y) будемо (Budemo) враховувати (vrakhovuvaty) ризики. | Todi ukhvalimo rishennia y budemo vrakhovuvaty ryzyky. | Then let's decide and factor in the risks. |
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?
“На мою думку (na moiu dumku), треба (treba) відкласти (vidklasty) запуск.” (Na moiu dumku, treba vidklasty zapusk.) — In my view, we should postpone the launch. 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.