не може бути
“не може бути” — it cannot be in Ukrainian. Phrase, level B1, topic — basic words. Both "impossible" and the gasp of disbelief — "it cannot be!". Possible is mozhlyvo, impossible nemozhlyvo: one little word covers both the verdict and the surprise. In a live sentence: “Не може бути, ти жартуєш” — It cannot be that he finished it all alone. One of 309 words in the set “basic words” in the Ukrainian course.
In short
| Written in Ukrainian | не може бути |
| Translation | it cannot be |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | B1 |
Why it looks that way
Both "impossible" and the gasp of disbelief — "it cannot be!". Possible is mozhlyvo, impossible nemozhlyvo: one little word covers both the verdict and the surprise.
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.
- Не може бути, ти жартуєшIt cannot be that he finished it all alone
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- такyesLooks like it should mean "so" or "thus", but it is simply "yes". A small freebie once you know it.
- ніnoA short, firm "no". To negate a verb, put ne in front of it: ne rozumiyu — "I do not understand", no helper verb.
- добреfineThe standard answer: dobre, diakuyu — "fine, thank you". The adjective dobyi is "good" — same family, different job.
- поганоbadlyThe plain opposite of dobre — how you feel or how things went. Pohano sounds a touch like "poorly", which fits the meaning.
- чудовоexcellentFrom chudo, "miracle" — so "miraculously good". Warmer than dobre: say it when things really are great.
- требаit is necessaryAn impersonal word that never changes shape: treba pratcuvaty — "one must work". Add a person with a little word: treba mi — "I need to".
- наonWorks as expected: na vokzali "at the station", na roboti "at work". After it comes the "where" form case — the "location" ending.
- вinBefore consonant clusters it swaps to u for the ear's sake: v misti but u Kyivi. Same word, two costumes, zero change of meaning.
- іandBetween vowels it shrinks to y, like an apostrophe: mama y tato — "mom and dad". A second "and" is ta — you will meet it soon.
- алеbutThe plain "but" of protest. After a negation Ukrainian switches to a: ne kava, a chay — "not coffee but tea".
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “it cannot be” in Ukrainian?
Both "impossible" and the gasp of disbelief — "it cannot be!". Possible is mozhlyvo, impossible nemozhlyvo: one little word covers both the verdict and the surprise.
- How do you say “on” in Ukrainian?
Works as expected: na vokzali "at the station", na roboti "at work". After it comes the "where" form case — the "location" ending.
- How do you say “fine” in Ukrainian?
The standard answer: dobre, diakuyu — "fine, thank you". The adjective dobyi is "good" — same family, different job.
- How do you say “but” in Ukrainian?
The plain "but" of protest. After a negation Ukrainian switches to a: ne kava, a chay — "not coffee but tea".
- How do you say “it is necessary” in Ukrainian?
An impersonal word that never changes shape: treba pratcuvaty — "one must work". Add a person with a little word: treba mi — "I need to".
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 “it cannot be” in Ukrainian?
«не може бути». In a live sentence: “Не може бути, ти жартуєш” — It cannot be that he finished it all alone. Phrase, level B1, from the set “basic words”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Both "impossible" and the gasp of disbelief — "it cannot be!". Possible is mozhlyvo, impossible nemozhlyvo: one little word covers both the verdict and the surprise. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.