Why do some Ukrainians use Russian grammatical patterns and/or words in Ukrainian and vice versa? Is it because both languages are commonly spoken in Ukraine or is there a more complex issue? Let's find out!

All About Ukrainian

What is суржик?

In this episode, we explore how to ask basic questions in Ukrainian! If you're a beginner, this episode is perfect for you. Learn the essential question words like хто, що, де, and more, along with how to use them in everyday conversations. We’ll also explain the difference between що and який, and how який changes depending on the gender and number of nouns. By the end of this episode, you’ll be ready to ask questions confidently in Ukrainian. 

Український подкаст для початківців з Альоною / Ukrainian podcast for beginners with Alyona 

Asking Questions in Ukrainian: A Beginner's Guide

In this episode, we’re covering essential phrases for everyday conversations. From greetings like Привіт and Добрий день to practical questions like Де це? (Where is it?) and Скільки це коштує? (How much does it cost?), you’ll learn the basics to navigate daily life in Ukrainian.

We’ll also go over polite expressions such as Дякую (Thank you) and Вибачте (Excuse me), plus responses that will help you feel confident, like Я не розумію (I don’t understand) and Я тільки починаю вчити українську (I’m just starting to learn Ukrainian).

Whether you’re traveling, meeting new people, or just starting your language journey, these phrases will help you connect and communicate :)

Essential Ukrainian Phrases for Everyday Conversations (Part 1)

In this episode, we dive into imperfective and perfective verbs in Ukrainian. These two verb aspects are crucial for expressing ongoing actions versus completed actions.

Imperfective verbs describe actions in progress or repeated actions.
Example: читати (to read) – Я читаю книгу (“I am reading a book”).

Perfective verbs focus on completed actions or actions that will be completed.
Example: прочитати (to finish reading) – Я прочитав книгу (“I finished reading the book”).

Understanding when to use each aspect will make your Ukrainian more accurate and natural, whether you’re talking about habits, ongoing activities, or completed tasks. Tune in for all the details and examples to level up your language skills!



Ukrainian Verbs Explained: Imperfective vs. Perfective

Hey there! Time to practice some confusing letters:) Today we are practicing letters Х and Г.

Words featuring "Х":

хлопець  - boy
хмара - cloud

Additional ones:
Холодно - cold (adverb)
Хата - a house, a hut
Хом'як - a hamster

Words featuring "Г" :

гора (hora) - mountain
година (hodyna) - hour

Additional ones:
Голод - hunger
Газ - gas
Гараж - a garage

Sentences:

У хлопця була година.  - The boy had an hour.
На горі була велика хмара. - There was a big cloud on the mountain.

Additional ones:
Тут холодно - It's cold here
Це хліб - It's bread

Letters Х and Г

If you want to say HELLO, it depends on the time of day.
If it's morning, it's better to say ДОБРОГО РАНКУ.
If it's afternoon, it's ДОБРИЙ ДЕНЬ
If it is evening - then ДОБРИЙ ВЕЧІР or ДОБРОГО ВЕЧОРА
If it's night -- ДОБРОЇ НОЧІ
If you want to wish someone good night, you can use the previous phrase or ДОБРАНІЧ
It is also possible to say ВІТАЮ, but this word has two meanings: HELLO or Congratulations
These are formal greetings.
However, if you're talking to a friend, it's okay to say ПРИВІТ.

So how to say goodbye or bye? 
Goodbye is до побачення. By the way, побачення means “a date” and до in this context means “till”, but this phrase still means “goodbye”.
If you want to say “see you”, you can say “до зустрічі”. 
These are kind of formal ones.
And if you are talking to a friend and want to say “bye”, you can say:
– па-па (bye bye)
– бувай (bye)
So we can say it like “Як справи”.
“Як ти” – which is informal.

And what should we answer? 
We can say: 
Добре – which means good.
Дуже добре – very good 
Нормально – normal
Не дуже – not much. As I have said before, дуже – means very. So we literally say “not very”.
Чудово – great
Погано – bad
It is also possible to say “непогано” which means “not bad”
