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Ukrainian Tutorial written by Ivan Karmin

OVERVIEW

The Ukrainian language bears the distinctive characteristics of the majority of Slavic languages, especially their Eastern branch, like three genders, seven cases, absence of articles and free word order. The language called mova [mova] is the closest relative among other Slavic languages to the old Russian language that was used in Kievan Rus, the ancient state with the center of Kiev (Kyiv in Ukrainian). Many words extinct in Russian still live in Ukrainian.

The infinitive of a verb ends in –ти (робити, жити) unlike Russian –ть (делать, жить).

Ukrainian uses Cyrillic alphabet with 33 letters. The unique letters are ї, є, ґ.

Ukrainian has a vocative case, e.g. Петре, йди-но сюди! Petre, jdy-no sjudy! (Peter, come here!) - but Petro in nominative.

Україно моя мила. Ukrajino moja myla. (My fair Ukraine.) - but Ukrajina.

It’s important that all letters are pronounced precisely as they are written.

Another difference with Russian lies in such Ukrainian words as vorog (means enemy), polon (imprisonment of war), golova (head, director). In Russian they are short vrag, plen, glava because of the Bulgarian tradition. When in 11-12^th centuries Bulgarian religious texts written in Old Bulgarian language made their way to Russian lands they carried many new words and influenced the tongue.

Ukrainian for the long time has been a language of the village (selo). In 1654 Ukraine joined the Moscovy tsarstvo. Since that time and until the Soviet reign the Russian government issued barely 20 laws to forbid the usage of the Ukrainian language at schools, theatres, establishments. The publishing of books in Ukrainian was also under prohibition. While Russian flourished and became more rich and modern, Ukrainian was left to be a poor relative. The same policy was represented toward Belarus. This was made to forge one Eastern-Slavic nation with one language and one identity. The position of Ukrainian language was miserable. Taras Shevchenko (Тарас Шевченко) was an outstanding Ukrainian poet of the 19^th century who opposed the colonial regime and made a lot of work to standardize the language. However, Kotlarevsky founded the basis of modern Ukrainian.

When in 1991 Ukraine declared independence Ukrainian was announced the language of the state.

Ukrainian is very melodious and beautiful. Thus it’s often called solovjina mova (the nightingales’ tongue).

I am not trying to teach you all the Ukrainian but maybe this little work will sparkle your interest and move you to continue to learn this wonderful language.

THE LANGUAGE

Ukrainian alphabet Український алфавіт [Ukrajins’kyj alfavit]

А	a	car	І	i	doing, leak	Т	t	tender
Б	b	book	Ї	ji	yield	У	u	mood
В	v	vine	Й	j	yes, envoy	Ф	f	fake
Г	g	h	К	k	car	Х	h	like Scottish loch or German Bach
Ґ	g	go	Л	l	love	Ц	ts	its
Д	d	dig	М	m	milk	Ч	ch	chips
Е	e	pet	Н	n	nose	Ш	sh	ship
Є	je	yes	О	o	just o	Щ	shch	fresh cheese
Ж	zh	azure	П	p	pierce	Ь	‘	soft sign
З	z	zip	Р	r	rolled/trilled	Ю	ju	you, beauty
И	y	bit	С	s	so	Я	ja	yankee
						‘	|	hard sign

The names of the months are of Slavic origin, not Roman as in Russian, i.e.

January	Січень	[Sichen’]
February	Лютий	[Ljutyj]
March	Березень	[Berezen’]
April	Квітень	[Kviten’]
May	Травень	[Traven’]
June	Червень	[Cherven’]
July	Липень	[Lypen’]
August	Серпень	[Serpen’]
September	Вересень	[Veresen’]
October	Жовтень	[Zhovten’]
November	Листопад	[Lystopad]
December	Грудень	[Gruden’]

Words:

Земля --- zemlja --- Earth, Land, Soil

Вітер --- viter --- wind

Вогонь --- vogon’ --- fire

Вода --- voda --- water

Людина --- ljudyna --- a human-being

Чоловік --- cholovik --- a male, a husband

Жінка --- zhinka --- a woman

Жіночка --- zhinochka --- diminutive-affectionate for a woman

Хлопець --- chlopets’ --- a boy

Дівчина --- divchyna --- a girl

Син --- syn --- a son

Донька --- don’ka --- a daughter

Сонце --- sontse --- sun

Зірка, Зорі --- zirka, zori --- a star, stars

Місяць --- misjats’ --- moon, a month

Хмари --- chmary --- clouds

Небо --- nebo --- sky

Річка --- a river

Хліб --- bread

Молоко --- milk

Цукор --- sugar

Тістечко --- a cookie

Пиво --- beer

Родина --- a family

Вітчизна --- Vitchyzna --- Motherland

Дружба --- friendship

Ворожнеча --- hostility

Цей, ця, це, ці --- this (m, f, n, pl)

Той, та, те, ті --- that (m, f, n, pl)

Adjectives

Добрий --- good, kind

Поганий --- bad

Чудовий --- wonderful

Жахливий --- terrible

Цікавий --- interesting

Далекий --- far

Близький --- near

Солодкий --- sweat

Гіркий --- bitter

П’янкий --- intoxicating

Білий -- white

Червоний --- red

Чорний --- black

Жовтий --- yellow

Синій --- blue

Зелений --- green

Numerals

Один --- odyn --- 1

Два --- dva --- 2

Три --- try --- 3

Чотири --- chotyry --- 4

П’ять --- p| jat’ --- 5

Шість --- shist’ --- 6

Сім --- sim --- 7

Вісім --- visim --- 8

Дев’ять --- dev|jat’ --- 9

Десять --- desjat’ --- 10

Одинадцять --- odynadtsjat’ --- 11

Дванадцять --- dvanadtsjat’ --- 12

Тринадцять --- trynadtsjat’ --- 13

Чотирнадцять --- chotyrnadtsjat’ --- 14

Двадцять --- dvadtsjat’ --- 20

Двадцять один --- 21

Двадцять три… --- 23

Тридцять --- trydtsjat’ --- 30

Сорок --- sorok --- 40

П’ятдесят --- pjatdesjat --- 50

Шістдесят --- 60

Сімдесят --- 70

Сто --- 100

year 1984 --- тисяча дев’ятсот вісімдесят четвертий рік

DAYS OF A WEEK

Понеділок Monday

Вівторок Tuesday

Середа Wednesday

Четвер Thursday

П’ятниця Friday

Субота Saturday

Неділя Sunday

Verbs

Писати to write

Заперечувати to protest

Працювати to work

Створювати to create

Грати to play (both a game or an instrument)

Ходити to walk

Полювати to hunt

Шукати to look for

Здобувати to gain

Спілкуватись to communicate

Займатись коханням to make love

Руйнувати to ruin

Зустрічати to meet

Будувати to build

Вміти to be able to

CASES

There are seven cases in Ukrainian: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Instrumental, Locative, and Vocative.

N. хто, що? час – time, masculine [chas]

G. кого, чого? час|у

D. кому, чому? час|у

A. кого, що? час

I. ким, чим? час|ом

L. на кому, на чому? час|і

N. хто, що? вол|я – freedom, feminine [volja]

G. кого, чого? вол|і

D. кому, чому? вол|і

A. кого, що? вол|ю

I. ким, чим? вол|ею

L. на кому, на чому? на вол|і

N