Phrases that save you in Ukrainian
15 words Ukrainian words on the topic “phrases that save you”: я не розумію — I do not understand, повторіть, будь ласка — repeat, please, повільніше — more slowly, чи говорите англійською? — do you speak English?
15 words on the topic
- я не розуміюI do not understandStress on the last syllable: ne-rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me".
- повторіть, будь ласкаrepeat, pleaseFrom povtoryty, "to repeat" — hear the "repeat" inside. If you caught nothing at all, a puzzled shcho? — "what?" — also works.
- повільнішеmore slowlyThe comparative of povilno, "slowly" — "slowlier", if English had such a word. A word you will genuinely use every day.
- чи говорите англійською?do you speak English?The little word chy at the start turns any sentence into a yes-no question — Ukrainian has no separate word for "whether" or a helping "do".
- допоможіть!help!From dopomahaty, "to help", and pomich is "help". The ambulance is shvydka dopomoha — "quick help" — the phrase to recognize on sight.
- я загубивсяI am lostFrom zahubyty, "to lose". A woman says ya zahubylasya — the past tense records the speaker's gender in its ending.
- зачекайте хвилинкуwait a minuteThe everyday verb for waiting is chekaty; its bookish cousin with zh sounds stiff. Khvylynku is the small form of khvylina, a minute — softened for politeness.
- я не можу відчинитиI cannot open itPrecisely vidchynyty: a door is the object here. Vidkryty would suit a book or a secret — a book and a secret each take their own opening verb.
- мені потрібен лікарI need a doctorPotrizhen, "needed", comes from treba, "it is necessary" — but made personal. For a woman doctor: potribna likarka.
- обережноbe carefulOn signs you will more often see UVAGA! — "attention!" — but the meaning is the same: stop and look first.
- небезпечноdangerousBuilt as a double negative: ne-bez-pechno, "not without safety". Ukrainian always keeps the "not" in this word.
- викличте поліціюcall the policeThe same vyklychte you would use for a repairman. Numbers: police 102, ambulance 103, fire 101.
- я загубив паспортI lost my passportThe verb is hubyty, to lose — the same one you know from zahubyvsia, I got lost. A woman says zahubyla; the ending carries the gender.
- мені поганоI feel badPohano plus the "to me" form describes how you feel physically. Ya pohanyi would be about your character — quite another claim.
- не чіпайтеdo not touchFrom chipaty, "to touch". To one person informally: ne chipai. Said over hot dishes everywhere.
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.
- Не розумію, вибачтеI do not understand, sorry
- Повторіть, будь ласка, повільнішеRepeat more slowly, please
- Говоріть повільніше, будь ласкаSpeak more slowly, please
- Вибачте, чи говорите англійською?Excuse me, do you speak English?
- Допоможіть, будь ласка!Help me, please!
- Я загубився. Де я зараз?I am lost. Where am I?
What is worth knowing about these words
я не розумію — I do not understand. Stress on the last syllable: ne-rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me".
повторіть, будь ласка — repeat, please. From povtoryty, "to repeat" — hear the "repeat" inside. If you caught nothing at all, a puzzled shcho? — "what?" — also works.
повільніше — more slowly. The comparative of povilno, "slowly" — "slowlier", if English had such a word. A word you will genuinely use every day.
чи говорите англійською? — do you speak English?. The little word chy at the start turns any sentence into a yes-no question — Ukrainian has no separate word for "whether" or a helping "do".
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I do not understand” in Ukrainian?
Stress on the last syllable: ne-rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me".
- How do you say “I cannot open it” in Ukrainian?
Precisely vidchynyty: a door is the object here. Vidkryty would suit a book or a secret — a book and a secret each take their own opening verb.
- How do you say “do not touch” in Ukrainian?
From chipaty, "to touch". To one person informally: ne chipai. Said over hot dishes everywhere.
- How do you say “wait a minute” in Ukrainian?
The everyday verb for waiting is chekaty; its bookish cousin with zh sounds stiff. Khvylynku is the small form of khvylina, a minute — softened for politeness.
- How do you say “I feel bad” in Ukrainian?
Pohano plus the "to me" form describes how you feel physically. Ya pohanyi would be about your character — quite another claim.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 timesAdesope, 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 timesMawson & 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.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I do not understand” in Ukrainian?
«я не розумію». Stress on the last syllable: ne-rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me". It is one of 15 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 15 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.