Introducing yourself

Formation

The present of бу́ти (“to be”) is left out: the subject is followed directly by the noun, the adjective or the place said of it. In writing, a dash is placed between a noun subject and a noun after it: Іва́н — лі́кар. No dash is written after a pronoun subject (Я лі́кар) or before не (Іва́н не лі́кар).

Use

The pattern says who someone is, what they do, where they are from and where they are: Я з Ха́ркова, Ма́ма вдо́ма. The form є is not used for “is”; it means “there is” and appears in у ме́не є (“I have”), as described in Saying what you have: у ме́не є…, я ма́ю…. In the past and the future the verb бу́ти is used: був, бу́ду.

Use

Це (“this is”, “it is”) points to a person or a thing and never changes: Це Оле́г. Це ка́ва. Це мої́ дру́зі. A person is asked about with Хто це?, a thing with Що це? The answer begins with це again.

Formation

The personal pronouns in the nominative, the form of the subject:

Use

Він stands for a man or a masculine noun, вона́ for a woman or a feminine noun, воно́ for a neuter noun, and вони́ for any group. A thing is therefore often він or вона́, not always воно́: — Де телеві́зор? — Він у кімна́ті. The pronoun is not capitalised, except Ви in a letter, described in Two words for “you”: ти and ви.

Use

Ти is said to one person who is a friend, a relative or a child. Ви is said to several people, and to one person addressed politely: a stranger, an older person, a customer, a teacher. The verb after ви has the plural form, even for one person: Ви зна́єте? In a letter or a message to one person, the polite Ви is written with a capital letter.

Formation

A sentence is made negative with не, placed directly before the word it denies, a verb or a noun: Він не пам’ята́є. Це не ка́ва. Так is “yes” and ні is “no”; at the start of an answer each is followed by a comma.

Formation

A yes-or-no question has the words and the order of the statement; the voice rises on the word asked about, and a question mark is written: Ти студе́нт? The question may also open with чи, which has no English equivalent and marks the sentence as a question: Чи ти студе́нт?

Use

A question word opens the question, and the rest keeps the order of a statement. Де asks where someone or something is, куди́ where someone goes, as described in Choosing де or куди́: тут and сюди́, там and туди́, удо́ма and додо́му.

Use

A name is given with Мене́ зва́ти and the name, literally “(they) call me…”: Мене́ зва́ти Оста́п. Мене́ звуть is also heard. The question is Як тебе́ зва́ти? to a friend and Як вас зва́ти? to someone addressed as ви. Мене́, тебе́ and вас are the object forms of я, ти and ви, described in Pronouns as objects: мене́, тебе́, нас, вас; кого́? що?; зва́ти does not change.

Use

Having is usually expressed with у and ме́не, вас or another object pronoun, followed by є (“there is”): У ме́не є соба́ка, literally “at me there is a dog”. The verb ма́ти (“to have”) is also used: Я ма́ю соба́ку. In a short answer є stands alone: — У вас є ка́ва? — Так, є.

Formation

After ма́ти the object is in the accusative, described in The accusative of things: кни́гу, пі́сню, буди́нок, мі́сто: Я ма́ю маши́ну. After у ме́не є the noun is in its dictionary form, since it is the subject of є: У ме́не є маши́на. After у the pronoun is stressed on its first syllable: у ме́не, у те́бе.