Language/Ukrainian/Grammar/Introduction-to-Ukrainian-Grammar

Ukrainian → Grammar → Introduction to Ukrainian Grammar

Ukrainian is the official language of Ukraine and is spoken by over 30 million people worldwide. As a Ukrainian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have seen many students struggle with the language's complex grammar. In this lesson, I will provide an overview of the basic grammatical structures of the Ukrainian language that every beginner should know.

Nouns

Nouns in Ukrainian have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. They also have six cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, and locative. It's crucial to learn these cases and how they affect noun declensions in sentences.

Example of Noun Declension

Here is an example of declension for the Ukrainian noun "дім" (home):

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	Translation
дім	dim	home (nominative case)
дому	domu	home (genitive case)
домові	domovi	home (dative case)
дім	dim	home (accusative case)
домом	domom	home (instrumental case)
в домі	v domi	at home (locative case)

Verbs

Verbs in Ukrainian also have six forms: infinitive, present tense, past tense, future tense, conditional and imperative, and two aspects: perfective and imperfective. It is important to understand these forms and how they differ from each other.

Example of Verb Conjugation

Here is an example of conjugation for the Ukrainian verb "читати" (to read) in the present tense:

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	Translation
я читаю	ya chytayu	I read
ти читаєш	ty chytayesh	You read (singular)
він/вона/воно читає	vin/vona/vono chytaye	He/She/It reads
ми читаємо	my chytayemo	We read
ви читаєте	vy chytayete	You read (plural)
вони читають	vony chytayut'	They read

Adjectives

Adjectives in Ukrainian agree with nouns in gender, case, and number. There are also two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative. It's essential to learn these degrees and how they change adjectives in sentences.

Example of Adjective Agreement

Here is an example of adjective agreement with the Ukrainian noun "стіл" (table):

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	Translation
новий стіл	novyy stіl	new table (masculine singular)
нова стілка	novа stіlka	new table (feminine singular)
нове стілець	novе stіlets'	new table (neuter singular)
нові столи	novі stolу	new tables (plural)

Learning Ukrainian grammar can be challenging, but with patience and practice, it becomes easier over time. In the next lessons, we will delve deeper into more complex grammar topics. In the meantime, remember to practice these basic structures regularly to improve your Ukrainian language skills.

Sources

• Ukrainian Grammar — The place to learn Ukrainian language
• Ukrainian grammar - Wikipedia
• Ukrainian Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary & Grammar

Related Lessons

• Possessive Pronouns
• how to use numerals and nouns in pairs
• Verb to work
• Verbs Perfective and Imperfective Aspect
• The Adjective: Degrees of comparison
• Nouns and Gender
• Verbs Past Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Cases