LingoflyPhrases that save you in Ukrainian
15 words in Ukrainian on the topic “phrases that save you”: я не розумію (ya ne rozumiiu) — I do not understand, повторіть, будь ласка (povtorit, bud laska) — repeat, please, повільніше (povilnishe) — more slowly, чи говорите англійською? (chy hovoryte anhliiskoiu) — do you speak English?
15 words on the topic
- я не розуміюya ne rozumiiuI do not understandStress on the "i": ne rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me".
- повторіть, будь ласкаpovtorit, bud laskarepeat, pleaseFrom povtoryty, "to repeat" — hear the "repeat" inside. If you caught nothing at all, a puzzled shcho? — "what?" — also works.
- повільнішеpovilnishemore slowlyThe comparative of povilno, "slowly" — "slowlier", if English had such a word. A word you will genuinely use every day.
- чи говорите англійською?chy hovoryte anhliiskoiu?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!dopomozhit!help!From dopomahaty, "to help", and pomich is "help". The ambulance is shvydka dopomoha — "quick help" — the phrase to recognize on sight.
- я загубивсяya zahubyvsiaI am lostFrom zahubyty, "to lose". A woman says ya zahubylasya — the past tense records the speaker's gender in its ending.
- зачекайте хвилинкуzachekaite khvylynkuwait 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 відчинитиya ne mozhu vidchynytyI 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 лікарmeni potriben likarI need a doctorPotrizhen, "needed", comes from treba, "it is necessary" — but made personal. For a woman doctor: potribna likarka.
- обережноoberezhnobe carefulOn signs you will more often see UVAGA! — "attention!" — but the meaning is the same: stop and look first.
- небезпечноnebezpechnodangerousBuilt as a double negative: ne-bez-pechno, "not without safety". Ukrainian always keeps the "not" in this word.
- викличте поліціюvyklychte politsiiucall the policeThe same vyklychte you would use for a repairman. Numbers: police 102, ambulance 103, fire 101.
- я загубив паспортya zahubyv pasportI lost my passportThe verb is hubyty, "to lose" — the same root as zahubyvsia, "I got lost". A woman says zahubyla; the ending carries the gender.
- мені поганоmeni pohanoI feel badPohano plus the "to me" form describes how you feel physically. Ya pohanyi would be about your character — quite another claim.
- не чіпайтеne chipaitedo not touchFrom chipaty, "to touch". To one person informally: ne chipai. Said over hot dishes everywhere.
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
я не розумію (ya ne rozumiiu) — I do not understand. Stress on the "i": ne rozu-MI-yu. Dropping the "I" is even more natural: ne rozumiyu, plus vybachte — "excuse me".
повторіть, будь ласка (povtorit, bud laska) — repeat, please. From povtoryty, "to repeat" — hear the "repeat" inside. If you caught nothing at all, a puzzled shcho? — "what?" — also works.
повільніше (povilnishe) — 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? (chy hovoryte anhliiskoiu?) — 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 "i": 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.
- Study spread over days wins 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» (ya ne rozumiiu), read “ya ne rozumiiu”. Stress on the "i": 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?
The whole set on this page is 15 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.