Basic words in Ukrainian

309 words on the topic

• так

  tak

  yes

  Means "yes", and also "so, thus": tak i ie — so it is.
• ні

  ni

  no

  A short, firm "no". To negate a verb, put ne in front of it: ne rozumiyu — "I do not understand", no helper verb.
• добре

  dobre

  fine

  The standard answer: dobre, diakuyu — "fine, thank you". The adjective dobyi is "good" — same family, different job.
• погано

  pohano

  badly

  The plain opposite of dobre — how you feel or how things went. Pohano sounds a touch like "poorly", which fits the meaning.
• чудово

  chudovo

  excellent

  From chudo, "miracle" — so "miraculously good". Warmer than dobre: say it when things really are great.
• треба

  treba

  it is necessary

  An impersonal word that never changes shape: treba pratcuvaty — "one must work". Add a person with a little word: treba mi — "I need to".
• на

  na

  on

  Works as expected: na vokzali "at the station", na roboti "at work". After it comes the "where" form case — the "location" ending.
• в

  v

  in

  Before consonant clusters it swaps to u for the ear's sake: v misti but u Kyivi. Same word, two costumes, zero change of meaning.
• і

  i

  and

  Between vowels it shrinks to y, like an apostrophe: mama y tato — "mom and dad". A second "and" is ta: mama ta tato.
• але

  ale

  but

  The plain "but" of protest. After a negation Ukrainian switches to a: ne kava, a chay — "not coffee but tea".
• а

  a

  and (contrastive)

  The "and" that sets two things against each other: Ya pratcuyu, a ty? — "I work, and you?". For plain "but" Ukrainian uses ale.
• чи

  chy

  or

  Two jobs: at the start of a question it works like "whether" (chy tse kava? — "is this coffee?"), between nouns it is plain "or".
• дуже

  duzhe

  very

  The all-purpose intensifier. Duzhe diakuiu — "thank you very much" — is how you pump up a thank-you.
• можна

  mozhna

  one may, it is allowed

  An impersonal permission word, like "may one?". Mozhna kavu? — "may I have a coffee?" — is the polite way to order without ever saying "give me".
• половина

  polovyna

  half

  For "half past" times Ukrainian switches to piv, which glues on: piv hodyny. Polovyna is the noun — half of a bread, half of anything.
• ще один

  shche odyn

  one more

  Shche is "still, more" and never changes: shche odyn chay, shche odna kava. The ending changes on the noun, not on shche.
• досить

  dosyt

  enough

  One word covering both "enough" and "that will do": dosyt, diakui — enough, thank you. Stress sits firmly on the first syllable.
• усього

  usoho

  altogether (in total)

  The till word: usoho sto hryven — in total, one hundred hryvnias. The same word can mean "merely" — only the voice decides between the two.
• більше

  bilshe

  more

  Grown from velykyi, "big", though the root shrank along the way. It serves both size and amount: more space, more time, one word for both.
• менше

  menshe

  less

  The mirror of bilishe. Menshe tsukru, bud laska — "less sugar, please" — and after it the noun takes the "of" form, as after every comparative.
• важкий

  vazhkyi

  heavy

  One word for heavy by weight and heavy by difficulty — a heavy bag and a heavy problem use the same adjective.
• легкий

  lehkyi

  light (weight)

  Stress at the end: leh-KYY. Light by weight and light by difficulty are one word — the exact partner of vazhkyy.
• новий

  novyi

  new

  Novyi rik — New Year, with the adjective agreeing in gender: novyi, nova, nove. An honest decliner, no tricks.
• старий

  staryi

  old

  Old things and old people alike: staryi dim, "an old house". For asking age: skilky tobi rokiv? — "how many years to you".
• зламаний

  zlamanyi

  broken

  From zlamaty, "to break". Machines break with the same verb as bones — an arm and an elevator share the grammar.
• усе гаразд

  use harazd

  everything is fine

  Harazd is an old word from agreements — "in good order". More often heard as a question: Vse harazd? — "all good?"
• усе добре

  use dobre

  all is well

  At the head of a phrase it is use; after a vowel it flips to vse — the language shuffles u and v for a smoother mouthful.
• одинадцять

  odynadtsiat

  eleven

  Built as "one-on-ten" and you can hear both parts. Like after five, the noun after it takes a special form:odynadtsyat hryven — "eleven hryvnias".
• дванадцять

  dvanadtsiat

  twelve

  Dva "two" plus -nadtsyat, and the arithmetic is visible right in the word. Twelve months is dvanadtsyat misyatciv — the same form as after five.
• тринадцять

  trynadtsiat

  thirteen

  Try "three" plus -nadtsyat. The whole run to nineteen is built the same way, and the numbers themselves never change form.
• чотирнадцять

  chotyrnadtsiat

  fourteen

  From chotyry, "four", with nothing dropped — the longest word in the row. Four-plus-ten, spelled out honestly.
• пʼятнадцять

  piatnadtsiat

  fifteen

  The apostrophe marks a little "y" glide: p-yat-nadtsyat. A quarter hour is said with the number: piatnadtsyat khvylyn — "fifteen minutes".
• шістнадцять

  shistnadtsiat

  sixteen

  From shist, "six" — the letter i inside is the tight vowel: "shyst". No apostrophe after the sh, unlike piatnadtsyat.
• сімнадцять

  simnadtsiat

  seventeen

  From sim, "seven", no apostrophe — not "sim-yat". Said "simnadtsyat"; seventeen plus ten more will finish the row.
• вісімнадцять

  visimnadtsiat

  eighteen

  From visim, "eight" — a word you may know from cafe bills. No extra opening consonant: the "vo-" of borrowed words simply is not there.
• девʼятнадцять

  deviatnadtsiat

  nineteen

  The last of the -nadtsyat family, with the apostrophe marking the glide: dev-yat-nadtsyat. After it the tens are built differently.
• двадцять

  dvadtsiat

  twenty

  Two-plus-ten again, but with a vowel dropped: dvadtsyat. Compound numbers just follow: dvadtsyat odyn, dvadtsyat pyat.
• тридцять

  trydtsiat

  thirty

  Try "three" plus -dtsyat, the arithmetic showing again. English "thirty" hides its three; Ukrainian wears it on the outside.
• сорок

  sorok

  forty

  The one ten that stands alone, not built from a unit — its own word, just like "forty" is odd in English too.
• пʼятдесят

  piatdesiat

  fifty

  The apostrophe again: p-yatdesyat. There is even an idiom piatdesyat na piatdesyat, "fifty-fifty", working exactly like English.
• шістдесят

  shistdesiat

  sixty

  From shist, tight vowel and all: "shystdesyat". Sixty khvylyn equals one hodyna — the arithmetic teaches the words.
• сімдесят

  simdesiat

  seventy

  From sim with no apostrophe, said exactly as written — unlike piatdesyat, where the apostrophe changes everything next door.
• вісімдесят

  visimdesiat

  eighty

  From visim, no opening "vo-" bolted on. Recognizable on the second glance — and that is a normal pace for this word.
• девʼяносто

  devianosto

  ninety

  Another oddball ten: no visible unit inside, apostrophe in the middle — devyanosto. Memorize it whole, like "ninety".
• сто

  sto

  one hundred

  A short, clean word, said "sto". The bigger hundreds reshape it — dvisti, trysta — so the bare sto survives only at exactly one hundred.
• тисяча

  tysiacha

  one thousand

  A recognizable cousin of "thousand", both from the same old borrowing. After pyat tysyach the noun takes the "of" form: tysyacha hryven.
• мільйон

  milion

  million

  An English ear hears "million" at once — a straight international borrowing, spelled here with one l and no doubled consonant. In speech it is often clipped to a shorter form.
• нуль

  nul

  zero

  The same word can mean "nothing" in a score — a null result. Said and spelled about as you would guess.
• перший

  pershyi

  first

  Ordinals agree like adjectives: pershyi den, persha kava, pershe mistse. One shape for each gender, exactly like any other adjective.
• другий

  druhyi

  second

  The same word also means "other": druhyy den — "the second day" or "the other day" alike. Order and otherness in one word.
• третій

  tretii

  third

  Recognizable root, with the tight i where another vowel might sit. From here the row runs regularly: chetvertyi, pyatiy.
• останній

  ostannii

  last

  Both "last" and "final": ostanniy raz, "the last time". Its natural pair is pershiy — first and last bookend everything.
• скільки

  skilky

  how much

  From skilky koshtuye, "how much does it cost"; alone it asks amounts: Skilky vam rokiv? — "how many years do you have?", the way ages are asked here.
• пара

  para

  a couple

  Para khvylyn is literally "a pair of minutes" but means "a few" — the counting is honorific, not exact. A pair, a couple, a small handful.
• штука

  shtuka

  piece

  The word for counting things one by one: pyat shtuk, "five pieces" — the regular after-five form. Markets run on this word.
• відсоток

  vidsotok

  percent

  Literally "from-a-hundred" — the arithmetic is baked into the word. The o is a fleeing one: vidsotok but dva vidsotky.
• кожен

  kozhen

  every

  Nothing like "every" in sound — memorize kozhen. It agrees in gender: kozhna kava, kozhe misto, and takes a singular noun after it.
• хто

  khto

  who

  Said with a firm kh at the front. It bends for cases — khto, koho, komu — and for things the question word is shcho, "what".
• чому

  chomu

  why

  Covers both "why" and "how come". The answer usually starts with bo — "because" — one short syllable, no longer word needed.
• навіщо

  navishcho

  what for

  Built on na shcho, "for what" — it asks about a goal. Chomu asks the cause, navishcho asks the purpose; the split matters here.
• який

  yakyi

  which (what kind)

  Stress lands at the end: yakyi. It bends through the genders — yakyi, yaka, yake — and moonlights as "which" inside longer sentences.
• чий

  chyi

  whose

  Agrees with the thing owned, not the owner: chyi dim, chyya kava, chyye misto. The sound is a clean "chey".
• ніхто

  nikhto

  nobody

  Ni plus khto — "no who". The negative is doubled: nikhto ne pryyde, "nobody will come". One ne alone would be wrong.
• щось

  shchos

  something (a thing)

  Built on shcho, "what". U mene ie shchos dlia tebe — "I have something for you" — a gift of a sentence.
• обидва

  obydva

  both

  For masculine pairs it is obydva, for feminine obydvi: obydva druzy, obydvi kavy. Two genders, two forms, no exceptions.
• не знаю

  ne znaiu

  I do not know

  Ne glued to znaiu — negation is one solid block, no helper verb. Znaty covers knowing a fact and knowing a person alike.
• ризик

  ryzyk

  risk

  The international word, same sound, same meaning. Na vlasnyi ryzyk — at your own risk — is said in the mountains and by the water alike.
• запасний план

  zapasnyi plan

  backup plan

  The adjective "zapasnyi" also covers a spare tire and a spare key. A failed plan "provalyvsia" — fell into a hole, as the language sees it.
• неприємність

  nepryiemnist

  trouble (a mishap)

  From priiemno, pleasant, with ne- bolted on. The closed syllable keeps the i: nepryiemnist, plural nepryiemnosti — a small unpleasantness that bends like any noun.
• причина

  prychyna

  cause

  Lives inside a few set phrases: "prychyna pozhezhi", "shukaty prychynu", "bez prychyny" — and on forms "z osobystykh prychyn", for personal reasons.
• результат

  rezultat

  result

  Three main uses: "rezultat testu", a test result; "bez rezultatu", without result; "yak rezultat", as a result. In sport it is the score.
• тому

  tomu

  therefore

  One word doing the whole job: "It rained, tomu we stayed home." A comma goes before it, none after. Do not confuse with the "because" word — the two halves of a sentence swap places with them.
• тому що

  tomu shcho

  because

  The comma before it is always there. The shorter conversational twin is "bo", also with a comma, and starting a sentence with "bo" is not done. The pair: "because" answers why, "therefore" answers what followed.
• через це

  cherez tse

  because of this

  "Cherez" here is a preposition of cause and blame, not of crossing: "cherez doshch", because of the rain, "cherez noho", because of him. Cooler than "therefore" — it points at the culprit.
• залежати від

  zalezhaty vid

  to depend on

  The same construction as in English, with "vid" plus the "of" form: "zalezhaty vid pohody". The most common answer in conversation is the one-word "Zalezhyt." — it depends.
• пояснити причину

  poiasnyty prychynu

  to explain the reason

  Two verbs split the work: "poiasnyty" is to make circumstances clear, to justify; "roztlumachyty" is to untangle the hard to understand. You "poiasniiuete" a reason, you "roztlumachuiete" a task.
• мета

  meta

  goal (an aim)

  The same meta that opens the border phrase about the purpose of a trip. A go-getter is tselespriamovanyi — and that long word carries a different root, tsil.
• сенс

  sens

  point (meaning)

  "Sens zhyttia", the point of life; "nemaie sensu chekaty", no point waiting. The meaning of a word is "znachennia" — a different word, and the two are not interchangeable.
• висновок

  vysnovok

  conclusion

  From "vysnovuvaty", to draw out — a conclusion is what you drew, like the summary at the end of a chapter. The main phrase: "diity vysnovku", to reach a conclusion.
• можливість

  mozhlyvist

  opportunity

  From "mozhlyvo", possible: an opportunity is a possible thing. Learn the pair "maty mozhlyvist" and "vtratyty mozhlyvist". An option-variant is "variant" — do not swap them.
• можливо

  mozhlyvo

  possibly

  The same adverb does duty for "maybe" and "it may well be" — the comma after it does the splitting. Intonation, not vocabulary, marks the difference.
• неможливо

  nemozhlyvo

  impossible

  Just the "ne-" prefix. In speech people more often say "ne vykhodyt" — it does not work out. The second sense is about people: "nemozhluva liudyna" is an impossible, unbearable person.
• необхідність

  neobkhidnist

  necessity

  Held up by two phrases: "nemaie potreby", there is no need, and "za potreby", if needed. The adjective keeps its o in the first syllable. The handy impersonal word is "treba".
• обовʼязково

  oboviazkovo

  mandatory (definitely)

  The apostrophe inside is required writing, from "oboviazok", duty. Signs say "Reiestratsiia oboviazkova" — registration is mandatory. As an answer it means definitely: "Will you come?" — "Oboviazkovo!"
• мені доведеться

  meni dovedetsia

  I will have to

  An impersonal dovedetsia with the to-form beside it: meni, tobi, yomu. From dovesty, to bring a thing all the way — necessity as something delivered to you.
• дозволено

  dozvoleno

  allowed

  From "dozvil", the permit. Works without a subject: "Tut dozvoleno kuryty." To a person you say it with a verb: "mozhesh kuryty" — you may.
• заборонено

  zaboroneno

  forbidden

  The partner of dozvoleno, from zaboroniaty. After the exit sign, this is the sign you meet most — smoking, parking, entering, all in its power.
• вибір

  vybir

  choice

  From "braty", to take: "vybir" is the thing taken out. Three phrases cover life: "maty vybir", "ne maiu vyboru", "za vlastnym vybom" — by one's own choice. Second sense: the assortment in a shop.
• варіант

  variant

  option

  In living speech exactly the option word: "maiemy dva varianty" — we have two options. A "mozhlyvist" is what you miss; a "variant" is what you pick between.
• сумнів

  sumniv

  doubt

  Phrases: "bez sumnivu" — without doubt, "u mene sumnivy" — I have doubts. Careful: "bez sumnivu" expresses certainty, not doubt — a ready-made formula of agreement.
• сумніватися

  sumnivatysia

  to doubt

  Reflexive, taking "v" plus the "where" form: "sumnivatysia v nomu". The more common pattern is with "shcho": "Sumnivaiusia, shcho vin pryide" — I doubt he will come. Alone, "Sumnivaiusia." says it all.
• упевнений

  upevnenyi

  sure (confident)

  Built on "pevnyi", definite or certain: to be sure is to be "made certain". It agrees — "vpevnenyi", "vpevnena" — and takes "shcho". Overdoing it gives "samovpevnenyi", overconfident, already a rebuke.
• навряд чи

  navriad chy

  hardly (unlikely)

  Literally "unlikely-whether": the little question word "chy" closes the pair, and no comma follows. The short answer is just "Navriad." Next to it stands "Sumnivaiusia, shcho..."
• напевно

  napevno

  surely

  From pevnyi, "certain" — literally "certainly". One word with two weights: "surely" and "must be" — the intonation decides how sure the speaker sounds.
• точно

  tochno

  exactly

  Both senses in one: "Tochno pryidu", I will definitely come, and "tochno o piatiy", sharp at five. Easy to confuse, painful to mix: "definitely at five" is a promise to the minute.
• мені здається

  meni zdaietsia

  it seems to me

  From "zdavatysia", to seem, and it reaches for "shcho": "Meni zdaietsia, shcho zachyneno." Its favorite spot is the end of a sentence, as a little tail: "Zachyneno, meni zdaietsia."
• насправді

  naspravdi

  actually (in fact)

  One word: "on the truth of it". It corrects what was just said and opens a sentence: "Naspravdi vse bulo inakshe." The neighbor "iakraz" is "just the opposite", a different animal.
• припустити

  prypustyty

  to suppose

  From "puskaty", to let in: to suppose is to let a thought in. "Prypustumo, shcho tse pomylka" — let us suppose it is a mistake. The noun is "prypushchennia", a supposition.
• я не впевнений

  ya ne vpevnenyi

  I am not sure

  The polite formula of disagreement: instead of "no", people say "I am not sure". A woman says "ia ne vpevnena". It continues with "shcho" or "chy": "I am not sure whether it is a good idea."
• досвід

  dosvid

  experience

  The same root as the certificate word "svidotstvo": experience is what you witnessed yourself. "Dosvid roboty" went into your resume. An experiment is "eksperyment" or "doslid" — a different word.
• випадок

  vypadok

  case (situation)

  From "vypadaty", to fall out: a case is what fell to you. Phrases: "v tsomu vypadku", in this case; "v bud yakomu vypadku", in any case. An example-illustration is "pryklad".
• приклад

  pryklad

  example

  Listen out: this word also means the stock of a rifle — one word, two worlds. "Navedy pryklad" is give an example; "pryklad na plechi" is about a gun. Here it is a model to follow: "dobryi pryklad".
• наприклад

  napryklad

  for example

  One word, letter for letter as expected. It sits mid-sentence with commas on both sides: "Vzimy shos teple, napruklad sviter" — take something warm, for example a sweater.
• різниця

  riznytsia

  difference

  From "riznyi", different: a difference is what makes things different. "Riznytsia mizh tym i tym" takes the "between" word; "nemaie riznytsi" — no difference. In a shop it is also the surcharge when exchanging goods.
• порівняння

  porivniannia

  comparison

  From the compare verb, with "rivnyi", even, inside. The headline phrase: "porivniano z mynulym rokom" — compared with last year, ready for prices, weather and statistics.
• відрізнятися

  vidrizniatysia

  to differ

  Reflexive, with "vid" plus the "of" form: "vidrizniaietsia vid inshykh" — differs from the others. Without the reflexive ending it means to tell apart: "vidrizniaty kolory". Simpler speech says "buty inshym".
• схожий

  skhozhyi

  similar

  Takes "na": "skhozhyi na batka", takes after the father; "tse skhoze na nashe" — that is like ours. And "buty skhozhumy odyn na odnoho" is to be similar to each other.
• схожість

  skhozhist

  similarity

  From the same adjective: the thing that makes two alike. "Skhozhist mizh nymy", "pomitity skhozhist" — to notice a similarity. A word made for learners: two languages are full of similarities and of traps in equal measure.
• зміна

  zmina

  change

  One word for a work shift and a change of any kind. To change something is zminyty, to be changed is zmynytysia — the noun keeps both doors open.
• по-перше

  po-pershe

  first of all (firstly)

  Written with a hyphen and opening the list; a comma after it is normal. The list word is "po-", not the one you might guess. And "for the first time" is a different word, "upershe" spelled differently.
• по-друге

  po-druhe

  secondly

  Built like "firstly" and standing in the same spot — the first word of the second half, often after the comma that splits the two halves. The row continues "po-tretie", "po-chetverte", and closes with "nareshti", finally.
• насамперед

  nasampered

  first of all

  One solid word where three would do: na-sam-pered, "on the very front". Its bookish twin peredusim says the same thing with more starch.
• крім того

  krim toho

  besides (moreover)

  The preposition "krim" takes the "of" form — hence "toho" of "that". It stands first and a comma after it is usual. Neighbors: "okrim tsogo", the same, and "bilshe toho", moreover.
• до речі

  do rechi

  by the way

  Literally "to the point": a comma after the two words is normal — "Do rechi, ty vzhe bachuv ioho post?" Mid-sentence it means "fittingly" instead. The chatty substitute is "slukhai".
• загалом

  zahalom

  on the whole

  One word, from "zahalnyi", general: on the whole, all in all. It opens the sentence and takes no comma. As a filler word people say "nu" or "slovom" instead.
• коротко кажучи

  korotko kazhuchy

  in short

  Kazhuchy comes from kazaty, to say — the same root as kazka, the fairy tale. Literally "saying it briefly", the phrase does what it claims.
• іншими словами

  inshymy slovamy

  in other words

  The instrumental after "inshymy", other — as you would build it yourself. It opens the sentence with a comma: "Inshymy slovamy, zaiavu treba pysaty znovu." Shorter: "kazhuchy prosto" or "tobto", that is.
• головне

  holovne

  the main thing

  Not a noun but a neuter adjective standing in for one — so it lives only in the frame "holovne, shchob...": "Holovne, shcho my vchasno pryikhaly." The comma before "shcho" is required. A real noun is "holovna rich" or "sut".
• врешті-решт

  vreshti-resht

  in the end

  Hyphenated, from reshta, the remainder — literally "in the rest of the rest". The doubling gives it a resigned shrug you can borrow.
• хоча

  khocha

  although

  From khotity, to want: even this, want it or not. Push it harder and it becomes khoch by; plain khoch is the "at least" word.
• зате

  zate

  but then again

  Ends on e and is written solid: zate. Concedes first and pays back second — expensive, zate reliable — the trade-off built into one word.
• навпаки

  navpaky

  on the contrary

  From an old word for "back again". It covers both a contrary opinion and a contrary position: "sydity navpaky" — to sit opposite. Stands first, almost always with a comma.
• незважаючи на

  nezvazhaiuchy na

  despite

  Literally "not looking at" — a verb form that hardened into a preposition. To open a whole clause add "ne zvazhaiuchy na te, shcho", and there the comma before "shcho" is obligatory.
• однак

  odnak

  however

  No final o: odnak, one syllable lighter than the eye expects. It opens a sentence or follows a comma, whichever the rhythm wants.
• з одного боку

  z odnoho boku

  on the one hand

  The word here is "bik", a side — literally "from one side". It opens the sentence, takes no comma after itself, and almost demands its partner "z inshoho boku" in the second half — leaving it alone sounds cut off.
• з іншого боку

  z inshoho boku

  on the other hand

  The partner of "on the one hand", first word of the second half, with the comma before it because it splits the halves. "Inshyi" is other — while "druhyi" is second in a row: "druhyi poverkh" is the second floor.
• тим не менше

  tym ne menshe

  nevertheless

  Literally "by that not less" — the phrase stays alive word for word: "Everyone talked me out of it, tym ne menshe I tried." First in its half, after the comma. The conversational substitute is "vse zh taky".
• замість цього

  zamist tsoho

  instead of this

  Zamist comes from mistse, a place: instead is "in the place of". It demands the of-form — zamist tsioho, zamist mene — and keeps it always.
• усе одно

  use odno

  it is all the same to me

  Two words with two lives: at the front of a sentence it means "anyway, still"; with the to-form it means indifference — "meni vse odno", it is all the same to me. Do not confuse with "odnakovo", equally.
• випадково

  vypadkovo

  by accident

  From the case word: by accident, as a chance happening. Very common in conversation: "vypadkovo ioho zustriv". The antonym is "navmisno", on purpose — and "spetsialno" in that sense carries a reproach.
• спеціально

  spetsialno

  on purpose

  The word carries both tones: "vin zrobuv tse spetsialno" — he did it on purpose, with a reproach; "spetsialno dlia tebe" — specially for you, with warmth. Intonation decides. Sharper still: "na zlo", out of spite.
• невдача

  nevdacha

  setback

  Just ne in front of vdacha, luck. But vdacha also means temperament: lehka vdacha, an easy disposition — context tells luck from character. The first setback did not stop him.
• крок за кроком

  krok za krokom

  step by step

  The second word is instrumental after za — the same mold as "day after day", "year after year". One pattern, all of time: krok za krokom, den za dnem, rik za rokom.
• порядок дій

  poriadok dii

  order of steps

  Diia is an action, plural dii — so the phrase is literally "order of actions". Poriadok itself covers tidiness in a room and order in a schedule. Write down the order of steps.
• докладно

  dokladno

  in detail

  From dokladAty, "to report or lay out": in detail is "as if fully reported". A detail is a detal — the international word doing small work here.
• своїми словами

  svoimy slovamy

  in your own words

  The with-form, no preposition needed — the words themselves do the instrument's job. It restates what was just said, plainly.
• простіше кажучи

  prostishe kazhuchy

  simply put

  The tail on kazhuchy turns a verb into "speaking-wise" — the same device as "briefly speaking". The first word is the comparing form of "simple".
• наведи приклад

  navedy pryklad

  give an example

  You never hand one over — examples are LED IN: the verb means to bring up to the point. The word for an example is built on "to apply".
• покажи, як це робиться

  pokazhy, yak tse robytsia

  show how it is done

  The verb wears the -sia tail and names no doer: things simply "get done" — an impersonal turn. And the comma before yak is not optional.
• зрозуміло?

  zrozumilo?

  is that clear?

  The teacher's Zrozumilo? A softer friend asks Vse zrozumilo? — "everything clear?" And "Is anything unclear?" is Chy ie shcho ne-zrozumile. A whole classroom of clarity checks.
• тепер зрозуміло

  teper zrozumilo

  now it is clear

  You can add the to-form: meni teper zrozumilo — clear TO me, personally. Without meni it is a general clearing: now everything is clear, to everyone, everywhere.
• я заплутався

  ya zaplutavsia

  I got confused

  From plutaty, "to tangle": confusion is plutanYna, a tangle. A woman says zaplUtalasia — the tail and the gender both land at the end of the word.
• згадати

  zghadaty

  to recall

  Built as "to guess at" something — z-hadaty. Without the z-, hadaty means "to divine, tell fortunes", so the little prefix carries the whole meaning.
• забути

  zabuty

  to forget

  One clean word for forgetting things, facts, and people. To leave an umbrella behind: zabuty parasolku u kafe — the same verb, no extra machinery.
• намір

  namir

  intention

  One word for intention and aim. Navmysno, "on purpose", grows from the same root; "to be going to do" is zbyraiusia — a different verb entirely.
• передумати

  peredumaty

  to change one's mind

  Built on dumaty, "to think", with a prefix meaning "over, re-": think it over differently. Without the prefix the verb just means "to think" — the prefix flips the outcome.
• усе за планом

  use za planom

  everything is going according to plan

  Ukrainian says "all according to plan" with za plus the with-form — za planom. No verb needed; the bare phrase is nearly an idiom of reassurance.
• якщо вийде

  yakshcho vyide

  if it works out

  Yakshcho is "if", fused into one word. The verb is the go-out verb again: whether it "comes out" is whether the plan works.
• поки не вирішив

  poky ne vyrishyv

  I have not decided yet

  Poky is "for now", standing on its own. Stretch it to poky shcho, "for the time being", and it buys you a little more patience.
• усе змінилося

  use zminylosia

  everything changed

  The little -sia makes the verb intransitive: zminyty "to change something", zminytysia "to change oneself". The noun zmina means both a change and a work shift.
• на краще

  na krashche

  for the better

  Where English says "for the better", Ukrainian uses na plus the comparative: zminytysia na krashe. The literal "do krasheho" sounds off — na is the natural choice.
• на гірше

  na hirshe

  for the worse

  The second half of the pair, built the same way. Hirshe, "worse", comes from pohanyi — and it stars in the proverb chym hirshe, tim krashe, "the worse, the better".
• належати

  nalezhaty

  to belong

  Tsei dim nalezhyt susidovi, "this house belongs to the neighbor". For belonging to a group: Ya nalezhu do tsiei komandy — "I belong to this team".
• чужий

  chuzhyi

  someone else's

  One adjective covers "another's" and "foreign": chuzha mova is both "someone else's speech" and "a foreign language". The opposite is svii, "one's own".
• спільний

  spilnyi

  shared

  From spilno, "together": a shared account, a shared kitchen. Zahalnyi is "common" in the other sense — common to all, general — a fine distinction worth noting.
• штовхати

  shtovkhaty

  to push

  A fully native verb — shtovkhaty machynu, "to push a car". The perfective adds -nu-: shtovkhnuty; you can hear the nudge in the sound.
• тягнути

  tiahnuty

  to pull

  The root of "pulling power": tiahnuty chas, "to drag out time", and tiahar, "a weight, burden" — one family, one direction of force.
• вдарити

  vdaryty

  to strike

  The first v is the sound-flow rule again, as in vstyhnuty. A kick at the ball is an udar; vdaryty po m-iachu is said exactly like "strike the ball".
• метр

  metr

  meter

  International. After numbers the case shifts: dva metry, piat metriv. A square meter is kvadratnyi metr — in apartment ads simply m2.
• сантиметр

  santymetr

  centimeter

  International, abbreviated sm. Smaller still is a milimetr — and note the y where English has an i: san-ty-metr.
• кілометр

  kilometr

  kilometer

  International with the long i. Speed is kilometriv na hodynu — kilometers per hour, km/h on the signs; distance measured out in hours, a very road-trip habit.
• літр

  litr

  liter

  International. Half a liter is piv litra; a liter and a half is pivtory litry — with the apostrophe compulsory. A bottle says 1 l, and the comma in numbers is decimal.
• грам

  hram

  gram

  International — on labels just the letter h. After five and up, "of" form: dvisti hramiv. Kilohram simply adds the prefix for "thousand" in front.
• вага

  vaha

  weight

  One nest, four words: the scales are this word in the plural, and "heavy" and "important" grow from it too. Weighing things and weighing decisions share a root.
• довжина

  dovzhyna

  length

  From dovhyi, "long". All four measures build the same way — adjective plus -ina — and all four are feminine: dovzhyna, shyryna, vysota, hlybyna.
• ширина

  shyryna

  width

  From shyrokyi, "wide" — built almost letter for letter as expected. A "wide gesture" travels whole: shyrokyi zhest, no translation needed.
• висота

  vysota

  height

  From vysokyi, "tall, high". A person's height is also vysota, and altitude is vysota nad rivnem moria — "above sea level", on every signpost in the Carpathians.
• глибина

  hlybyna

  depth

  From hlybokyi, "deep". V hlybini dushi is "in the depths of the soul" — the same image; the pool sign says hlybina 1,4 m.
• приблизно

  pryblyzno

  approximately

  Built from blyzko, "near": approximately is "near-ly". Its cousins are blyzko, "about", and des, "somewhere": blyzko piatoi, des o piatii.
• майже

  maizhe

  almost

  A word you simply have to memorize — nothing gives it away. Written as one block, stressed up front: MAI-zhe.
• рівно

  rivno

  precisely

  From rivnyi, "even, level": an even number, a level line, a plain — one root. Rivno odyn kilohram, "exactly one kilogram"; rivno o somii, "at seven sharp".
• у середньому

  u serednomu

  on average

  The middle-word again — the same root that names Wednesday, the week's middle. The whole phrase sits in the at-form behind the little u.
• удвічі

  udvichi

  twofold

  Multiples end in -ichi: udvichi bilshe, "twofold more". "In two times" also translates it — u dva razy — longer, but impossible to get wrong. Learn both.
• цифра

  tsyfra

  digit

  International — but only the single sign from zero to nine. A whole number is chyslo, and a phone number or shoe size is a nomer: three words where English manages with two.
• чверть

  chvert

  a quarter

  From chotyry, "four": the quarter is the fourth part. A quarter of an hour is chvert hodyny — "of" form, with no way around it.
• зважити

  zvazhyty

  to weigh

  From vahy, "scales". Zvazhyty is the one-time, complete act; zvazhuvaty is the ongoing one. And "zvazh na tse" means "given that" — weight turned into consideration.
• зайвий

  zaivyi

  spare (extra)

  Zaivyi covers both "spare" and "needless": an extra ticket is zaivyi, and so is a remark nobody asked for. One adjective, both judgements.
• порожній

  porozhnii

  empty

  From the noun porozhnecha, "emptiness" — a hollowness, not just a lack of things. The soft -ii ending is the long-form giveaway.
• уникати

  unykaty

  to avoid

  What you avoid goes in the "of" form: unykaty tsukru, "avoid sugar". To walk around a problem like a puddle is obiity problemy — the verb of detours.
• факт

  fakt

  fact

  International and easy. The set phrase is fakt poliagaje v tomu, shcho — "the fact is that..." — and the comma before shcho is obligatory, though English puts none before "that".
• питання

  pytannia

  question

  From pyty, "to ask": a question is literally "an asking". U mene odne pytannia — "I have one question" — is the opening line of every official phone call.
• важливий

  vazhlyvyi

  important

  From vaha, "weight": important means weighty. A heavy suitcase is vazhkyi, not vazhlyvyi — one letter, and you have weighed luggage instead of importance.
• позитивний

  pozytyvnyi

  positive

  Built the international way. It works for both evaluation and analysis: pozytyvnyi test is a positive test — in a lab that is the result you want, in life it depends.
• негативний

  nehatyvnyi

  negative

  The pair to the positive word. A negative review is nehatyvnyi vidhuk, and to deny is zaperechuvaty — the same root as the word for an objection.
• порівняно з

  porivniano z

  compared to

  From rivnyi, "even, level": comparing is leveling two things side by side. What follows is the with-form: porivniano z mynulym rokom — "compared to last year".
• такий самий

  takyi samyi

  the same kind of

  Literally "such the very same". Odnakovyi is "identical", and toi samyi is "the very same one" — three different samenesses, and the middle one is this word.
• перевага

  perevaha

  advantage

  From perevazhaty, "to outweigh": an advantage is what weighs more on the scale. On the road the same word is the right of way — whoever has perevaha goes first.
• недолік

  nedolik

  drawback

  Literally "a lacking" — the not-enough of a thing. Careful with brak: it means a defect or a shortage here, while marriage is shliub, three ideas English keeps apart.
• наслідки

  naslidky

  consequences

  From slid, "trail": consequences are the trail a decision leaves behind it. Usually plural: nesty naslidky — "to bear the consequences", carry your own trail.
• враховувати

  vrakhovuvaty

  to take into account (ongoing)

  From rakhuvaty, "to count": to account for is to count in. Vrakhui, shcho... — "mind that..." — the everyday imperative of the same verb.
• скоріш за все

  skorish za vse

  most likely

  Literally "sooner over everything": the comparing form of "soon" plus za, "beyond". Comparisons here climb through za. The dictionary also lists skorishe vsoho, and naiimovirnishe says the same with no comparison at all.
• напевне

  napevne

  for sure

  From pevnyi, "certain". Its sibling napevno hedges — "probably" — while this form commits. Context, not spelling, tells you which one you heard.
• імовірність

  imovirnist

  probability

  From imovirnyi, "probable". Velyka imovirnist is "high probability"; mozhlyvist is possibility — a probability is counted, a possibility simply exists. Two words, two worlds.
• припущення

  prypushchennia

  assumption

  From prypuskaty, "to suppose": an assumption is a guess made before the check. Then it becomes a fact or a mistake — tse lyshe moie prypushchennia, "this is only my assumption".
• схоже, що

  skhozhe, shcho

  it seems that

  Literally "it is similar that". Beside it live meni zdaietsia, "it seems to me", and sudiachy z usoho, "judging by everything" — this one sits in between.
• мабуть

  mabut

  must be

  Usually "probably"; here it leans "must be" — one word, two weights of guesswork, and the context tips it. Povynno buty also works but tastes of obligation.
• не може бути

  ne mozhe buty

  it cannot be

  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.
• принаймні

  prynaimni

  at least

  A whole phrase squeezed into one word. Next to it: khoche b raz — "at least once" — and shonaimenshe, "no less than", which is about numbers. Three tools of understatement.
• у будь-якому разі

  u bud-yakomu razi

  in any case

  The hyphenated any-word again, this time inside the at-form. And raz is "a time, an occasion" — no word for "case" anywhere in the phrase.
• про всяк випадок

  pro vsiak vypadok

  just in case

  Literally "for any case" — the foresight phrase, not the outcome one. Unlike the neighbor "under any circumstances", this is about keeping a spare umbrella, not about what happens next.
• якби

  yakby

  if (hypothetical)

  One word doing the job of a two-word phrase. After yakby comes the past tense, and bi appears in the other half: yakby mav chas, ya b dopomih — "had I time, I would help". Real conditions take yakshcho.
• за умови

  za umovy

  on condition that

  From umova, "condition" — a transparent build. The full form is za umovy, shcho — "on condition that" — the contractual, small-print flavor of "if".
• навіть якщо

  navit yakshcho

  even if

  The word for even keeps its own little i, and yakshcho handles the real, possible case with a plain present tense — no would inside.
• у такому разі

  u takomu razi

  in that case

  Razi is the "where" form of raz, "time, case", bent into place. In speech it shrinks to todi, "then" — the long form for negotiations, the short one for the kitchen.
• інакше

  inakshe

  otherwise

  From inshyi, "other": otherwise is "otherly". Two senses by position — mid-sentence it is a threat, pospishai, inakshe zapiznyshsia; at the start it means "to put it differently".
• тоді

  todi

  back then

  Then-as-in-that-moment: todi ia buv dytynoiu — "back then I was a child". Then-as-conclusion is u takomu razi, and todi and potim, "later", are kept carefully apart.
• для того щоб

  dlia toho shchob

  in order to

  Shchob is "so that", squeezed from shcho bi — the same bi as in hotiv bi, "would like". A single shchob does the same job: ya pryiishov, shchob dopomohy — "I came to help".
• немов

  nemov

  as if

  Built from ne plus mov — literally not as said. Its partners niby and nache mean the very same thing: three flavors of one doubt.
• замість того щоб

  zamist toho shchob

  instead of

  Zamist with the "of" form is for things: zamist kavy, "instead of coffee". With shchob it is for actions, and bi usually follows — instead of doing, one word longer.
• переважно

  perevazhno

  mostly

  From perevaha, an advantage — a word built on vaha, weight. One tidy word where English reaches for two.
• як правило

  yak pravylo

  as a rule

  Kin to pravylo, a rule — the same root as pravda, truth. Its everyday synonym is zazvychai, built on zvychai, a habit.
• майже всі

  maizhe vsi

  almost everyone

  Maizhe does the work of almost, and vsi is everyone; at the head of a phrase you will also see usi.
• виняток

  vyniatok

  exception

  From vyniaty, "to take out": an exception is a thing taken out of the rule. Za vyniatkom is "with the exception of", and vyniatkovyi is exceptional — the whole family is regular.
• і так далі

  i tak dali

  and so on

  Abbreviated i t. d., like the English etc. The homegrown twin is toshcho, "and the like" — shorter and more local, the one conversations actually use.
• на відміну від

  na vidminu vid

  unlike

  Vidmina, "difference", from mieniaty, "to change": a difference is a change made visible. The "of" form follows vid; simpler is inakshe, nizh — "other than".
• крім

  krim

  except

  Spelled with an i, and it pulls the of-form after it: krim mene, krim toho — of me, of that. The ending does the grammar.
• не зовсім

  ne zovsim

  not quite

  Zovsim is "entirely, altogether". In speech ne duzhe, "not very", is more common, and ne shchob — "not exactly" — is the most conversational of the three softenings.
• більш-менш

  bilsh-mensh

  more or less

  Squeezed into one hyphenated word. Priblyzno is about numbers; bilsh-mensh is about degree — work, weather, mood — the shrug of everyday evaluation.
• насилу

  nasylu

  barely

  A single word built on syla, strength — you managed it by strength alone. Its twin is ledve, by a hair.
• варто спробувати

  varto sprobuvaty

  worth trying

  Varto is "worth" for usefulness, koshtuie for price: two "worth"s that English merges. The try is from probuvaty, and the attempt itself is sproba.
• треба було

  treba bulo

  should have

  Reproach after the fact: treba bulo podzvonyty shche vchora — "you should have called yesterday already". Another way: mav bi skazaty, with the verb "to have" built in.
• найкраще

  naikrashche

  best (of all)

  An adverb: naikrashche — pochekaty do zavtra, "it is best to wait until tomorrow". The adjective is naikrashchyi — nai- is the "most" prefix you have already parsed.
• найгірше

  naihirshe

  worst of all

  The pair to naikrashche, "best of all", also an adverb; the adjective is naihirshyi. The degrees run pohano, hirshe, naihirshe — bad, worse, worst — and all three are irregular.
• якнайшвидше

  yaknaishvydshe

  as fast as possible

  One prefix, yaknai-, replaces the whole English pile-up of as...as possible. The same mold gives yaknaikrashche and yaknaiblyzhche — better and closer.
• даремно

  daremno

  in vain

  Literally "for free, for nothing" — done for no result. Next to it zmarna, "to no effect", and shkoda zusyl, "a waste of effort": a small family of regrets.
• впоратися

  vporatysia

  to cope

  Followed by z plus the instrumental: vporatysia z robotoiu — "cope with the work". To overcome is podolaty, a word that lifts the spirit rather than just managing.
• спроба

  sproba

  attempt

  From probuvaty, "to try". The same word is an attempt at school and in the lab — persha sproba ne vdalasia — and the proverb says sproba ne katuvannia, "an attempt is not torture".
• тобто

  tobto

  that is

  Squeezed out of "that is" into one word; its bookish twin is sebto. To restate you say inshymy slovamy — three ways to say it again, one formal, one bookish, one plain.
• виявилося

  vyiavylosia

  it turned out

  From the root of yava, imagination and appearance: the fact showed itself. The sentence needs no doer — the fact simply speaks.
• у результаті

  u rezultati

  as a result

  Rezultat is the same international word. Speech prefers tomu, "therefore", or zreshchoiu, "in the end"; u rezultati is the written, essay-flavored connector.
• призводить до

  pryzvodyt do

  to lead to

  The "of" form follows do: pryzvodyt do problem — "leads to problems". Do not confuse with pryvodyty, "to lead a person by the hand": the prefix here is about consequence, not walking.
• завдяки

  zavdiaky

  thanks to

  Grown out of diakuiu, "thank you" — gratitude grammaticalized into a preposition, and it takes the to-form: zavdiaky susidam. For the bad side use cherez: cherez doshch, "because of the rain".
• з першого разу

  z pershoho razu

  on the first try

  Literally "from the first time"; from the second is z druhoho razu, and so on down the numbers. The "of" form after z is obligatory: razu, never the bare raz.
• двісті

  dvisti

  two hundred

  Said "dvisti" — the ending is -sti, nothing like "hundred". The noun after it takes the after-five form: dvisti hryven.
• триста

  trysta

  three hundred

  Try "three" plus sto "hundred" fused into one word. The hundreds row is uneven: dvisti, trysta, chotyrysta — then the ending switches.
• чотириста

  chotyrysta

  four hundred

  Built straight from chotyry, "four", with the middle worn down to one syllable. An old of-form chotyriokh is hiding in the history of the word.
• пʼятсот

  piatsot

  five hundred

  The apostrophe is compulsory: piatsot, from piat, "five". From here to nine hundred the ending stays -sot.
• шістсот

  shistsot

  six hundred

  Shist "six" loses its final softness at the seam and three consonants pile up: shistsot. Written as one solid word.
• сімсот

  simsot

  seven hundred

  Sim "seven" plus sot "hundred", nothing dropped or inserted — the cleanest joint in the row.
• вісімсот

  visimsot

  eight hundred

  From visim, "eight". No soft sign before the m — the sound simply is not written there, so do not add one out of habit.
• девʼятсот

  deviatsot

  nine hundred

  The apostrophe again, as in piat and piatsot: dev-yatsot. The last hundred before tysyacha, "thousand".
• або

  abo

  or

  Two words share this job: abo links things in a plain statement (chai abo kava), while chy links them when asking (chai chy kava?).
• також

  takozh

  also

  Built from tak, "so", plus a little tail: takozh. In conversation you will often hear a shortened tezh — the same word, one vowel lighter.
• лише

  lyshe

  only

  Has a twin, tilky, and the two swap freely. Do not let lyshytysia, "to be left over", mislead you — same root, the meaning drifted apart.
• вже

  vzhe

  already

  Said "vzhe", soft at the end. In a negative it flips meaning: vzhe ne — "no longer", like French "ne... plus".
• ще

  shche

  still

  An ear trap: shche is "still, more", while shcho is "what" — one vowel separates them. Shche odyn is "one more".
• занадто

  zanadto

  too

  Nothing like "too" — it has to be memorized whole. Its cousin nadto is the same "too", a touch more conversational.
• трохи

  trokhy

  a little

  A standalone word meaning "a bit, a crumb". A warmer, cozier version is trishky — the same idea with a diminutive tail.
• разом

  razom

  in total

  Literally "together": at the till it means the total, everywhere else it means "together" — pratsiuiemo razom, "we work together". Same word, two worlds.
• не можна

  ne mozhna

  not allowed

  Built from mozna, "it is possible, one may" — mozna by itself is how you ask permission. Ne- in front closes the door.
• потрібно

  potribno

  need to

  The bookish partner of treba, grown from the noun for "need". The person who needs it stands in the to-form: meni potribno — "I need".
• щоб

  shchob

  so that

  Written solid from shcho plus a tiny b, "would". The clause after it leans on a past-like form: shchob ty znav — so that you would know.
• якщо

  yakshcho

  if

  Fused from yak, "how", and shcho, "what". For the unreal kind of if there is a separate word, yakby, and mixing the two changes the meaning.
• поки

  poky

  while

  Spelled with an i: poky. Do not reach for it when parting — goodbye is buvai, a different word entirely; poky only ties two things happening at once.
• раз уже

  raz uzhe

  since (now that)

  Takes the full uzhe, "already", never a clipped form. It hands over a reason both speakers already know and accept: since you are here anyway...
• аби тільки

  aby tilky

  if only (as long as)

  Aby alone already means "if only, just so". Tilky piles on emphasis: aby tilky ne doshch — anything, as long as it does not rain.
• так що

  tak shcho

  so (as a result)

  Written as two words: tak shcho. A fused one-word cousin, tozh, draws the same conclusion — both point back at what was just said.
• між

  mizh

  between

  One short syllable with an i in the middle. After it comes the with-form: mizh namy, mizh domamy — between us, between the houses.
• біля

  bilia

  near (beside)

  From bik, "side": to be near is literally to stand at its side. It pulls the of-form after it, for places and for rough numbers: bilia soti, around a hundred.
• замість

  zamist

  in place of

  Grew out of misto in its old sense of "place": za-misto, standing where it stood. The of-form follows: zamist mene — in place of me.
• проти

  proty

  against

  Ends in ty and takes the of-form: proty vitru, against the wind. Nishcho proty — "nothing against" — is the casual way to agree to a plan.
• без

  bez

  without

  Looks and works much as you hope. It demands the of-form: bez tsukru, bez noho — without sugar, without him.
• для

  dlia

  for

  Short and unchanging, with the of-form after it: dlia tebe — for you. Do not confuse it with do, which points at a destination, not a beneficiary.
• про

  pro

  about

  The everyday way to say "about something": rozpovid pro viinu, a story about the war. A bookish alternative exists, but pro is what people actually say.
• після

  pislia

  after

  With an i in the middle, and the of-form after it: pislia obidu, pislia roboty — after lunch, after work. One of the highest-frequency words of the language.
• під час

  pid chas

  during

  Two words, and the first one is pid, "under", not its fuller cousin. The of-form follows: pid chas zustri — during the meeting. Handy for timetables and rules.
• через

  cherez

  because of

  The same word that means "across" does double duty for cause: cherez doshch — because of the rain. After it comes the object form, not the of-form.
• навколо

  navkolo

  around

  From kolo, "circle": navkolo is what stands around the circle. The same root gave okolytsia, the outskirts of a town. The of-form follows.
• через

  cherez

  across

  Cherez also gives causes, cherez doshch, because of the rain; here it is about path and time: cherez mist, cherez hodynu — across the bridge, in an hour.
• зсередини

  zseredyny

  from the inside

  Starts with a plain z that stands for "from", stacked on seredyna, the middle. Its partner for the other direction is zovni, from the outside.
• поблизу

  poblyzu

  nearby

  One solid word from blyzko, "close". It can still pull the of-form after it: poblyzu vokzalu — near the station. The pharmacy answer to "where?".
• четвертий

  chetvertyi

  fourth

  Agrees like an adjective: chetvertyi den "fourth day", chetverta hodyna, chetverte mistse. Nearly the expected spelling — check the e.
• пʼятий

  piatyi

  fifth

  Straight from piat, "five", with an ordinal ending. The apostrophe after p is not decoration — it marks a brief y-glide catch between the sounds.
• шостий

  shostyi

  sixth

  From shist, but the soft sign vanishes at the seam: shostiy. Recognizable — only the vowel switched to o.
• сьомий

  somyi

  seventh

  From sim, "seven", but the vowel switches to o on the way: somyi. Nothing about it rhymes with English "seven" — learn it as its own shape.
• восьмий

  vosmyi

  eighth

  The soft sign before m stays put: vosmiy. The ordinal turns out longer than the visim it comes from — a small surprise.
• девʼятий

  deviatyi

  ninth

  From deviat, "nine", with the apostrophe after the v marking a small catch of air between the sounds. The ordinal keeps the full stem of the number.
• десятий

  desiatyi

  tenth

  From desiat, "ten"; the soft sign drops: desiatyi. The whole row keeps building the same way: odynadtsyatiy, dvadtsyatiy, sotiy.
• сотий

  sotyi

  hundredth

  From sto. Sto answers "how many", sotiy answers "which one in order" — and sotiy declines like an adjective, sto never does.
• слово

  slovo

  a word

  The plural is straightforward: slova. A small single word is a slivtse — the affectionate tail again, this time on vocabulary.
• число

  chyslo

  number

  The date is also chyslo: yake siohodni chyslo? — "what is today's date?", literally "what number is it today?".
• справа

  sprava

  a matter (business)

  Sprava is the everyday word for a matter or an affair; the shorter rival dilo is nearly retired from speech. Watch out: the same letters also mean "on the right".
• спосіб

  sposib

  way of doing

  A cousin of "way, means": yakym sposobom? — "by what method?". Upper-level word, first-thousand frequency.
• частина

  chastyna

  part

  Persha chastyna filmu — "the first part of the film". A noun built from "part", doing exactly the work you expect.
• середина

  seredyna

  middle

  Seredyna tyzhnya, "midweek" — and Wednesday is sereda, one letter away from the middle. The family resemblance is the mnemonic.
• сторона

  storona

  side

  An exact match with the expected word. Keep three apart: sprava "matter", sprava "to the right", storona "side" — context is the judge.
• шлях

  shliakh

  path

  A word with its own history — shlyakh do dodku, "the way home". It names the path itself, not the paved road.
• дорога

  doroha

  road

  The same letters also mean "dear" (my doroha!) — the road and the endearment are one word, and only context separates a highway from a sweetheart.
• сон

  son

  a dream

  In the forms the o slips away: son, snu, snom — the vowel only survives in the bare naming form. The verb "to sleep" is spaty, a different word.
• бачити

  bachyty

  to see

  Present: bachu, bachysh, bachyt. Old proverbs still say "the eye sees" with it — the seeing word of everyday speech.
• чути

  chuty

  to hear

  One short verb for sound and smell alike: Chuesh? is "do you hear?" and "do you smell?" — context picks the sense.
• спати

  spaty

  to sleep

  Present: spliu, spysh, spyt. Ya khochu spaty — "I want to sleep" — a sentence you will use on day one.
• нести

  nesty

  to carry

  Present: nesu, nesesh, nese. Carrying in your hands, on foot — the carrying word for things you hold while walking.
• ставити

  stavyty

  to put

  Putting repeatedly is stavyty; putting once is postavyty — the completed single act. Aspect pairs like this run through the whole language.
• ламати

  lamaty

  to break

  Bread breaks and bones break with the same verb: zlamaty nohu — "to break a leg". One word, both worlds.
• будувати

  buduvaty

  to build

  Do not trip on the family: budu means "I will", buduvaty means "to build" — and budynok is a building. One root, several jobs.
• гріти

  hrity

  to warm

  With i in the stem: hrity, hriiu, hriie. To warm yourself up, the reflexive version with a prefix does it: zihritysia — warmed through at last.
• багато

  bahato

  much, many

  After it the noun goes into the "of" form: bahato kavy, bahato khvylyn — much of coffee, many of minutes. Same rule as after five.
• мало

  malo

  little, few

  Like bahato, it pulls the "of" form after it: malo chasu. Said twice — malo malo — it shrinks to "just a tiny bit".
• губити

  hubyty

  to lose

  A word of its own, grown on zghuba, ruin and loss. The reflexive zghubyvsia, "got lost", comes from this same family.
• віднаходити

  vidnakhodyty

  to find again

  The prefix vid- adds the sense of "back": znakhodyty finds, vidnakhodyty finds again — lost things returning from attics and old drawers.
• залишати

  zalyshaty

  to leave (something behind)

  Without the -sia you leave a thing; with it — zalyshytysia — you yourself stay. Umbrella in a bar: no -sia. You missing the train: -sia.
• забирати

  zabyraty

  to pick up

  The same verb that picks children up from school picks up a parcel. Posylka is the package word — its own shape, nothing borrowed.
• повертати

  povertaty

  to return (something)

  The shirt goes back to the shop; you yourself go back with povertatysia. In stores: poverty tovaru — "return of goods".
• лічити

  lichyty

  to count

  A one-vowel trap: lichyty counts, likuvaty heals — muddle them and the doctor becomes a calculator. Tiny minutes measured out are licheni khvylyny.
• записувати

  zapysuvaty

  to write down

  The infix is -uva- where English habits expect -yva-. The little note you leave is a zapyska — same root, same paper.
• підписувати

  pidpysuvaty

  to sign

  The prefix is pid-, "under", from the same family that gives English "subscribe". A signature is pidpys — the verb with its tail trimmed.
• викреслювати

  vykresliuvaty

  to cross out

  From kreslyty, to draw and rule lines, with the removing prefix vy- in front: to draw a line through. English pictures the same stroke, just in reverse order.
• виправляти

  vypravliaty

  to correct (habitually)

  Built with the vy- prefix on pravyi, "right": correcting is making right. The noun for a correction is vypravlennia — the whole family sticks together.

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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.

• Так, це я

  Tak, tse ya

  Yes, it is me
• Ні, дякую, не треба

  Ni, diakuiu, ne treba

  No, thanks, I do not need it
• Добре, дякую. А ти?

  Dobre, diakuiu. A ty?

  Fine, thanks. And you?
• Сьогодні почуваюся погано

  Sohodni pochuvaiusia pohano

  I feel bad today
• Чудово! До зустрічі!

  Chudovo! Do zustrichi!

  Excellent! See you soon!
• Треба працювати

  Treba pratsiuvaty

  One must work

What is worth knowing about these words

так (tak) — yes. Means "yes", and also "so, thus": tak i ie — so it is.

ні (ni) — no. A short, firm "no". To negate a verb, put ne in front of it: ne rozumiyu — "I do not understand", no helper verb.

добре (dobre) — fine. The standard answer: dobre, diakuyu — "fine, thank you". The adjective dobyi is "good" — same family, different job.

погано (pohano) — badly. The plain opposite of dobre — how you feel or how things went. Pohano sounds a touch like "poorly", which fits the meaning.

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

Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.

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.
• Study spread over days wins 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
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• Pronunciation
• From scratch
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