Language/Ukrainian/Grammar/Present-Tense

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Ukrainian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Present Tense

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn about the present tense in Ukrainian. The present tense is used to talk about actions or states that are happening now or are generally true. It is an essential part of forming sentences in Ukrainian, and understanding how to use it correctly will greatly improve your communication skills. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently form and use the present tense in sentences and conversations.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs in Ukrainian follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in the present tense. To form the present tense of regular verbs, you need to remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate endings based on the subject pronoun. Let's take a look at the conjugation of regular verbs in the present tense:

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	English
Я говорю	Ya hovoryu	I speak
Ти говориш	Ty hovorysh	You speak
Він/Вона/Воно говорить	Vin/Vona/Vono hovoryt	He/She/It speaks
Ми говоримо	My hovorymo	We speak
Ви говорите	Vy hovoryte	You (plural) speak
Вони говорять	Vony hovoryat	They speak

As you can see, the endings of the verbs change depending on the subject pronoun. It's important to note that the subject pronouns are often omitted in Ukrainian because the verb endings already indicate the subject. However, they can be used for emphasis or clarification.

Let's practice conjugating regular verbs in the present tense:

• Я пишу (Ya pyshu) - I write
• Ти читаєш (Ty chytayesh) - You read
• Він грає (Vin hraye) - He plays
• Ми співаємо (My spivayemo) - We sing
• Ви танцюєте (Vy tantsyuyete) - You (plural) dance
• Вони готують (Vony hotuyut) - They cook

Now, let's see how the present tense is used in sentences:

• Я вчу українську мову. (Ya vchu ukrayins'ku movu) - I am learning the Ukrainian language.
• Ти часто граєш у футбол. (Ty chasto hrayesh u futbol) - You often play football.
• Він завжди працює вдома. (Vin zavzhdy pratsyuye vdoma) - He always works from home.
• Ми живемо у Києві. (My zhyvemo u Kyievi) - We live in Kyiv.
• Ви любите подорожувати. (Vy lyubite podorozhuvaty) - You (plural) love to travel.
• Вони вивчають історію. (Vony vyvchayut istoriyu) - They study history.

Irregular Verbs

While regular verbs have a predictable pattern in the present tense, there are some verbs that are irregular and do not follow the standard conjugation rules. These verbs have unique forms in the present tense, and you will need to memorize them individually. Here are some common irregular verbs in the present tense:

Ukrainian	Pronunciation	English
Я їм	Ya yim	I eat
Ти даєш	Ty dayesh	You give
Він/Вона/Воно йде	Vin/Vona/Vono yde	He/She/It goes
Ми бачимо	My bachymo	We see
Ви знаєте	Vy znayete	You (plural) know
Вони роблять	Vony roblat	They do/make

Let's practice using irregular verbs in sentences:

• Я їм сніданок. (Ya yim snidanok) - I eat breakfast.
• Ти даєш подарунок. (Ty dayesh podarunok) - You give a gift.
• Він ходить до школи. (Vin khodyt do shkoly) - He goes to school.
• Ми бачимо красивий вид. (My bachymo krasivyy vyd) - We see a beautiful view.
• Ви знаєте відповідь. (Vy znayete vidpovid') - You (plural) know the answer.
• Вони роблять свою роботу. (Vony roblat svoyu robotu) - They do their job.

Remember to pay attention to the unique forms of irregular verbs and practice using them in different contexts.

Negation in the Present Tense

To form a negative sentence in the present tense, you need to use the word "не" (ne) before the verb. Let's see how negation works in the present tense:

• Я не читаю книгу. (Ya ne chytayu knyhu) - I am not reading a book.
• Ти не розумієш мене. (Ty ne rozumiyesh mene) - You don't understand me.
• Він не працює сьогодні. (Vin ne pratsyuye s'ohodni) - He is not working today.
• Ми не говоримо по-англійськи. (My ne hovorymo po-anhliys'ky) - We don't speak English.
• Ви не вчитеся добре. (Vy ne vchytesya dobre) - You (plural) don't study well.
• Вони не хочуть йти туди. (Vony ne khochut' yty tudy) - They don't want to go there.

Negation is an important aspect of communication, and it allows you to express negation or denial in your sentences.

Questions in the Present Tense

To form a question in the present tense, you need to use the appropriate question word at the beginning of the sentence or use a question mark at the end. Let's see how questions are formed in the present tense:

• Чи ти говориш українською? (Chy ty hovorysh ukrayins'koyu) - Do you speak Ukrainian?
• Як він звати? (Yak vin zvaty) - What is his name?
• Коли ми зустрічаємось? (Koly my zustrichayemos') - When do we meet?
• Де ви живете? (De vy zhyvete) - Where do you live?
• Чому вони сміються? (Chomu vony smiyut'sya) - Why are they laughing?
• Що ти робиш? (Shcho ty robysh) - What are you doing?

Using questions is a great way to gather information or initiate a conversation in Ukrainian.

Practice Exercise

Now, let's practice what you have learned in this lesson. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb in the present tense:

1. Я __________ університет. (Ya vchyt'sya univerystet) 2. Ти __________ футбол? (Ty hrayesh futbol) 3. Він __________ книгу. (Vin chytaye knyhu) 4. Ми __________ в парку. (My prokhodymo v parku) 5. Ви __________ до музею? (Vy ydete do muzeiu) 6. Вони __________ каву. (Vony pyyut kavu)

1. Я вчуся в університеті. (Ya vchut'sya v universiteti) 2. Ти граєш футбол? (Ty hrayesh futbol) 3. Він читає книгу. (Vin chytaye knyhu) 4. Ми проходимо в парку. (My prokhodymo v parku) 5. Ви йдете до музею? (Vy ydete do muzeiu) 6. Вони п'ють каву. (Vony pyyut kavu)

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to form and use the present tense in Ukrainian. Keep practicing and using the present tense in your conversations to improve your language skills even further.

Table of Contents - Ukrainian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

The Ukrainian Alphabet and Pronunciation

• The Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Gender

• Nouns and Their Gender
• Plural Nouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure

• Hobbies
• Leisure Activities

  ---

Ukrainian Traditions and Holidays

• Traditions
• Holidays

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Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

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Shopping and Services

• Shopping Vocabulary
• Services Vocabulary

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Ukrainian Cuisine

• Traditional Dishes
• Eating Habits

Other Lessons

• Plural
• Nouns
• Verb to like
• Negation
• Pronunciation Rules
• Future Tense
• Pronoun
• Plural Nouns
• Introduction to Ukrainian Grammar
• Nouns and Their Gender

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