не можна
“не можна” — not allowed in Ukrainian. Adverb, level A1, topic — basic words. Built from mozna, "it is possible, one may" — mozna by itself is how you ask permission. Ne- in front closes the door. In a live sentence: “Тут не можна палити” — You cannot smoke here. One of 309 words in the set “basic words” in the Ukrainian course.
In short
| Written in Ukrainian | не можна |
| Translation | not allowed |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Built from mozna, "it is possible, one may" — mozna by itself is how you ask permission. Ne- in front closes the door.
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.
- Тут не можна палитиYou cannot smoke here
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 “not allowed” in Ukrainian?
Built from mozna, "it is possible, one may" — mozna by itself is how you ask permission. Ne- in front closes the door.
- 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 “not allowed” in Ukrainian?
«не можна». In a live sentence: “Тут не можна палити” — You cannot smoke here. Adverb, level A1, from the set “basic words”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Built from mozna, "it is possible, one may" — mozna by itself is how you ask permission. Ne- in front closes the door. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.