Shopping and money in Ukrainian

85 words on the topic

• гривня

  hryvnia

  The Ukrainian currency. After numbers from five up it becomes hryven: desyat hryven, "ten hryvnias" — the ending melts.
• скільки коштує?

  how much is it?

  Skilky is "how much", koshtuye is "it costs". About several items the verb grows an ending: skilky koshtuyut?
• крамниця

  shop

  Ukrainian's own word for a shop, from kram, "goods". The borrowed mahazyn is equally common — two doors, same shop.
• прилавок

  counter

  The market table where goods lie. A separate stall at the bazaar is a stiyka or just a mistse — but the shop counter is always this word.
• продавець

  vendor

  The -ets ending marks the male person. A woman is prodavchynia — and at the market it is more often her you will be talking to.
• покупець

  buyer

  From kupuvaty, "to buy" — the same ancient root as English "cheap" and "shop" cousins. Buyer and vendor are one family with two endings.
• ваги

  scales

  From vaha, "weight" — a distant cousin of the word inside "wagon". Always plural, like the English scales: the pans come in twos.
• кілограм

  kilogram

  Spelled with i and a single m, and at the market almost always clipped to kilo anyway. Ask for "kilo pomidoriv" and the scales start moving.
• свіжий

  fresh

  Fresh bread and fresh news take the same word: svizhi novyny. The i letters give it the "ee" ring — svy-zhyy.
• стиглий

  ripe

  From styhnuty, "to ripen" — a far cousin of English "stand" and "stay": fruit that has stood long enough. The meaning traveled, the root stayed.
• цінник

  price tag

  From tsina, "price". The little tag itself is tsinnyk, but in speech people point and say tsina more often than they name the tag.
• скільки з мене?

  how much do I owe?

  Literally "how much from me?" — the money leaves from you. In a cafe you would just ask for the bill instead.
• це дорого

  that is too expensive

  The softer complaint is dorohuvato — a little ending that takes the edge off, like "a bit pricey". Bargaining here is calm, never pushed.
• можна дешевше?

  can you make it cheaper?

  A market question, not a shop one — in a store the price is fixed. The answer is often trokhy, "a little".
• я беру

  I will take it

  From braty, "to take". At the till people often say oplatyu kartkoiu — "I will pay by card" — the same moment, fancier clothes.
• мені не треба

  I do not need it

  Treba is "it is needed"; add meni, "to me", and you have the polite refusal. The person who does not need goes in the "to" form.
• продуктовий магазин

  grocery store

  Mahazyn and kramnytsia are the same shop by two names — one borrowed, one native. Both mean store; you will hear each every day.
• кошик

  basket

  Your own word to learn — no "basket" inside. The little one is koshychok; a cat sleeps in one in every cartoon you will see.
• черга

  queue

  Stoiaty v cherzi — "to stand in a queue" — an unavoidable phrase at any till. One line, one word, no way around it.
• каса

  checkout

  Same international word as cash desk. From it grow kasyr, the cashier, and the kasnyi chek — the receipt from the previous lesson.
• пакет

  plastic bag

  At the till they ask you: vam paket? — and yes, it almost always costs extra. One bag, one small coin.
• відчинено

  open (of a shop)

  The course splits two openings English merges: vidchynyty is for doors and windows, vidkryty for eyes, books and secrets. On a shop door the sign always says this word.
• зачинено

  closed

  The partner of the door-word for "open", grown on the same root meaning to shut. Zachyneno na obid — closed for lunch — is the national sign of the land.
• вибирати

  to choose

  The prefix that English spells out- or ex- comes out as vy- here: vybyraty, vykhodyty, vymykaty. The present is vybyraiu — I am choosing.
• розмір

  size

  Stress on the second syllable: rozMIR. About clothes they ask it short: iakyi rozmir? — "what size?"
• гарантія

  warranty

  Stressed toward the end: haran tia. The phone warranty is two years, and the receipt is kept for it — you already know that ritual from the shop wave.
• повернення товару

  product return

  From povernuty, to return — the same motion as returning a debt. Online purchases can be returned within fourteen days: a right, not a favor.
• реклама

  advertising

  The break between episodes is a "reklamna perebrva". In business speech an ad is an "oholoshennia" — the same word as an apartment listing.
• рекламний ролик

  ad (commercial video)

  "Rolyk" is literally a little roll — a spool of film you can wind. You shoot one with "znimaty", the same verb as for cinema.
• бренд

  brand

  Spelled as in English; the official paperwork name is "torhova marka", a trade mark. And "marka" is a postage stamp too.
• логотип

  logo

  Spelled as the international word: the y is a full vowel, the h a soft throat sound. The shop sign is vyviska — logo, sign and brand keep separate words.
• розпродаж

  sale

  From "rozprodaty", to sell out — masculine, with no extra vowel at the end. A discount is the "znyzhka" you know, and shop windows shout about it.
• вигідна пропозиція

  good deal (favorable offer)

  "Vyhida" is benefit or gain: "vyhidna tsina", "vyhidnyi chas" — profitable and convenient at once. And "propozytsiia" is also the job offer you already received.
• порівняти ціни

  to compare prices

  Inside is "rivnyi", even or level: to compare is to set things side by side evenly. The noun "porivniannia" waits for you a few lessons later.
• пачка

  pack (of butter)

  Stress on the first syllable: pAchka. A pack of butter is a pachka masla — the phrase matches its shopping list exactly.
• скло

  glass (the material)

  Shorter than you expect — one syllable less than its Slavic cousins. A bottle is a plyashka; the glass and the bottle split the work between them.
• метал

  metal

  Stress on the end: metAl. Metallic is metalevyi — note the adjective ending, which does not match the borrowed noun's dress.
• пластик

  plastic

  A plastic bag is a plastYkovy paket; a payment card is a kartka — a different word for a different kind of plastic. The material and the card never share a name.
• папір

  paper

  Stress on the end: papIr. In the plural, pApery means documents or papers — the same drift as English, where your "papers" are never about stationery.
• міцний

  sturdy

  The word for strong tea and strong boots alike: mitsnyi chai, mitsni boty. One idea — holding together under load — poured over both objects.
• якісний

  high-quality

  The whole family hangs off the question yakyi, "what kind?": yakist is "quality", yakisnyi is what passes the test. One chain, three links.
• торговий центр

  shopping mall

  On signs you will see TRC — the local abbreviation. In conversation people just say "the center" and everyone knows which walls of shops are meant.
• вітрина

  shop window

  Spelled with a plain i in the first syllable — do not let the wind-word viter pull you off track; the rest of the word is all shop glass.
• касир

  cashier

  Masculine as written, but the feminine kasyrka is what you will actually hear behind most registers — Ukrainian freely feminizes job words.
• покупка

  purchase

  From kupuvaty, "to buy" — a purchase is a "buying", same build as English. Going shopping is khodyty za pokupkamy, with its own preposition.
• бонусна картка

  loyalty card

  Kartka, not karta — the map stays out of it. The card is just plastic; the point of it is the znizhka, the discount it unlocks.
• подарункова упаковка

  gift wrapping

  From podarunok, "gift": the wrapping is literally "gift packaging". A gift certificate keeps the same adjective.
• візок у магазині

  shopping cart

  A diminutive of viz, "cart or wagon" — the little wagon of the supermarket. A hand basket is a koshik; choose your vessel at the door.
• обміняти товар

  to exchange an item

  From the swap-verb miniaty, with ob- meaning "over, across". The noun obmin is the exchange itself, as at a currency window.
• оформити повернення

  to process a return

  Povernennia, "a return", is built on "to come back" — people and purchases share the verb. Oformyty, "to process", is the same paperwork verb you met with documents.
• бракований

  defective

  From brak, "a defect or reject": a defective shirt is one with a flaw. The word is blunt and official — exactly what you want on a complaint form.
• не підійшов розмір

  the size did not fit

  The fit is a coming: pidiishov is literally "walked up to". No verb "to fit" is needed — the size either walks up to you or it does not.
• зберегти чек

  to keep the receipt

  From berehty, "to guard or cherish": keeping the receipt is guarding it. Chek is the international word, and the cash register spells it out for you.
• це підробка

  it is a fake

  From pidrobyty, "to forge": a pidrobka is a counterfeit, built like "a forgery". The adjective is pidrobLenyi — both words are honest about the dishonesty.
• товар у наявності

  in stock

  Literally "in availability", from iavytysia, "to appear" — what is in stock has shown up. The sad shop answer is nAMaie v naiavnosti, "not available".
• поміняти на інший колір

  to change to a different color

  Inshyi is the "other" word — different from, not second in a row. Kolir, "color", loses its vowel in the endings, which is why the i matters.
• наручний годинник

  wristwatch

  From hodina, "hour": a hodynnYk is an "hour-er", a clock in any sense — wall clock, alarm, wrist. Naruchnyi, "for the arm", narrows it down.
• парфуми

  perfume

  Borrowed from French and always plural, like trousers: one bottle, many parfumy. The older smoke-and-souls name for scent is not used here.
• косметика

  cosmetics

  Stress on the last syllable: kosmetYka. The shop that sells it is a droheria — the drugstore of small necessities, a word you will see on every corner.
• вживаний

  second-hand

  From vzhyvaty, "to use": a second-hand car is a vzhyvanyi avtomobil — "a used one". The classified ads say it straight, no euphemism.
• торгуватися

  to bargain

  From torh, "trade": bargaining belongs to the market, not the supermarket — a price tag is not an opening offer. People bargain for half an hour and enjoy every minute.
• книгарня

  bookstore

  One word where you expect two: the book-root plus the place suffix -nia. The same suffix builds the bakery and the coffeehouse.
• гуртом

  in bulk

  From hurt, a crowd or a herd — the same root as hurtozhytok, the student dormitory, a house for the crowd. Latin borrowings for wholesale never caught on.
• гарантійний термін

  warranty period

  Harantiinyi with an i in the suffix, and once more termin where a clock-word might be expected. The guarantee itself is harantia.
• на замовлення

  made to order

  Literally "onto an order": vyhotovleno na zamovlennia, mebli na zamovlennia — custom-made furniture. Zamovlennia, "an order", you already have.
• брати

  to take

  In a shop the perfective is more natural: vzyaty, vzyavshy — "take!" when handing you the bread. Braty is the repeated, habitual taking.
• давати

  to give

  The ongoing twin of daty, "to give once": davaty is giving again and again. Present: dayu, dayesh, daye — short and regular.
• купувати

  to buy

  The habitual buying; the one-time purchase is kuputy: ya khochu kuputy khlib, "I want to buy bread". Process versus event.
• платити

  to pay

  The root is "pay", plain and clear. One vowel away is palyty, "to burn" — a single letter changes your card into a bonfire.
• класти

  to lay (down)

  The present sprouts a d: kladu, kladesh — a plot twist in an otherwise tidy verb. A request uses the imperative: klady syuda, "put it here".
• шукати

  to look for

  Nothing like "seek" or "search" in the sound — memorize it whole. The same verb searches the internet: shukaty v interneti.
• знаходити

  to find

  Zna- "know" plus khodyty "go" — "to know one's way to it". The perfective is znayty: ne mohu znayty klyuchi, "I cannot find the keys".
• показувати

  to show

  From kazaty, "to say, tell" — literally showing is a kind of pointing-and-telling. Polite request: pokazhit, bud laska, "show me, please".
• хотіти

  to want

  With an i in the stem: khotity, and the present jumps tracks — khochu, khochesh, khoche. The famous "I want" form you already know comes from this verb.
• могти

  can (to be able)

  The infinitive ends in a bare h-plus-t, but the present rewrites itself: mozhu, mozhesh, mozhe. The handy little word mozhna, "it is allowed", grew from the same root.
• скільки коштує кілограм?

  how much is a kilogram?

  Koshtuie grows on kosht, "cost, funds" — the money word sitting inside the price question. Remember the i in kilohram when you spell it.
• чи є знижка?

  is there a discount?

  A question without a question word opens with chy — the same little opener you know from other yes-or-no asks. Znyzhka comes from "to lower": a lowered price.
• у вас є...?

  do you have...?

  This course says "at you there is": u vas ie. The little ie never changes for person — one shape for I, you, we and they alike.
• я візьму це

  I will take this

  The future of vziaty, "to take", shows an i in the stem: vizmu. Tse is the neuter of "this" — pointing at the thing on the counter.
• мені потрібен пакет

  I need a bag

  Potriben is "needed" and it agrees in gender: potriben paket but potribna voda. The needed thing sets the ending.
• де каса?

  where is the checkout?

  Both words you already own: de and kasa. No verb needed — the question assembles exactly the way English does.
• це все

  that is all

  The closing line of every purchase, always said with diakuiu attached: Tse vse, diakuiu — "that is all, thank you".
• готівкою чи карткою?

  cash or card?

  Hotivka grows on hotovyi, "ready" — cash is the ready money. Both nouns stand in the with-form here: hotivkoiu, kartkoiu. The question you will hear at every till.
• решти не треба

  I do not need change

  Reshta is the change you know; ne treba is the "not needed" you know. Together: the polite wave-away at the till.
• список покупок

  shopping list

  Word for word like English: a list of purchases, with the "of purchases" in the possessive form. No shop trip without it.

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Кава — пʼять гривень

  The coffee is five hryvnias
• Скільки коштує цей хліб?

  How much is this bread?
• Крамниця поруч, два кроки

  The shop is nearby, two steps away
• На прилавку лежить свіжа риба

  Fresh bread is on the counter
• Продавець зважив кілограм яблук

  The vendor is very friendly
• Покупець питає ціну

  This is a buyer, not a seller

What is worth knowing about these words

гривня — hryvnia. The Ukrainian currency. After numbers from five up it becomes hryven: desyat hryven, "ten hryvnias" — the ending melts.

скільки коштує? — how much is it?. Skilky is "how much", koshtuye is "it costs". About several items the verb grows an ending: skilky koshtuyut?

крамниця — shop. Ukrainian's own word for a shop, from kram, "goods". The borrowed mahazyn is equally common — two doors, same shop.

прилавок — counter. The market table where goods lie. A separate stall at the bazaar is a stiyka or just a mistse — but the shop counter is always this word.

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

How much it costs, whether there is a smaller one, whether cards are accepted. A shop forgives mistakes: miss a word and they will show you the thing with their hands anyway.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

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• Food and drink175 words
• Asking the way19 words
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