чи говорите англійською?
“чи говорите англійською?” — do you speak English? in Ukrainian. Phrase, level A0, topic — phrases that save you. 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". In a live sentence: “Вибачте, чи говорите англійською?” — Excuse me, do you speak English? One of 15 words in the set “phrases that save you” in the Ukrainian course.
In short
| Written in Ukrainian | чи говорите англійською? |
| Translation | do you speak English? |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A0 |
Why it looks that way
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".
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Вибачте, чи говорите англійською?Excuse me, do you speak English?
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“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.
- 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.
- 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.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “do you speak English?” in Ukrainian?
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".
- 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 “more slowly” in Ukrainian?
The comparative of povilno, "slowly" — "slowlier", if English had such a word. A word you will genuinely use every day.
- How do you say “dangerous” in Ukrainian?
Built as a double negative: ne-bez-pechno, "not without safety". Ukrainian always keeps the "not" in this word.
- 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 not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “do you speak English?” in Ukrainian?
«чи говорите англійською?» In a live sentence: “Вибачте, чи говорите англійською?” — Excuse me, do you speak English? Phrase, level A0, from the set “phrases that save you”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
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". A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.