Joining clauses

After this page you will be able to join words and clauses with and, but and or, and build longer sentences with that, so that, because, if, when and which. You will also know the main comma rules: Ukrainian puts a comma before most words that begin a new clause, including що (that), where English usually has none.

And: і, й, та

І and й are the same word, and. Which one you use depends on the sounds around it [src: pravopys-2026, §24]:

• і between consonants, at the start of a sentence, and after a pause marked by punctuation when a consonant follows;
• й between vowels, and after a vowel before a consonant;
• always і when two ideas are set against each other (батьки́ і ді́ти) and before a word that starts with й, є, ї, ю or я.

After a word ending in й, я, ю, є or ї, use і or та [src: pravopys-2026, §24]. Та is a third word for and. The rules exist for smooth sound, and the orthography allows departures from them for the sake of rhythm [src: pravopys-2026, §24].

But: а and але

Both join parts that contrast with each other [src: goroh-dictionary]. А is used when two things are compared, so it often translates English and or whereas. In не…, а… it means not this but that: one thing instead of another. Але́ is the usual but; the dictionary gives проте́ and одна́к (however) as near synonyms [src: goroh-dictionary].

А also starts a follow-up question: А ти? (And you?)

Or: або and чи

Або́ and чи both mean or: only one of the options is meant [src: goroh-dictionary]. Чи has two more jobs:

• at the start of a yes/no question (see Questions): Чи ти вдо́ма? (Are you at home?);
• after verbs such as know and ask, it means whether or if: Я не зна́ю, чи він при́йде. (I don’t know if he’ll come.)

Repeated, або́… або́… means either… or….

Words that start a dependent clause

The words below begin a clause that depends on the main one. In writing, that clause is separated by a comma, or by two commas if it sits in the middle of the sentence [src: pravopys-2026, §158].

Що: that

Що introduces what someone says, thinks or knows. English can leave out that; Ukrainian keeps що and puts a comma before it.

Щоб: so that, in order to

Щоб introduces a purpose or a wish. With the same subject it takes an infinitive; with a different subject it takes the past form. The conditional explains this in detail. Compare що and щоб after said. The orthography uses this example: Він сказа́в, щоб усі́ прийшли́ (He told everyone to come) [src: pravopys-2026, §43].

Щоб is one word. Що б, written apart, is “what” with the particle би: Що б ви сказа́ли? (What would you say?) [src: pravopys-2026, §43].

Бо and тому що: because

Both mean because. Бо usually stands at the start of its clause [src: goroh-dictionary]. Тому́ що is written as two words, usually with no comma between them; a comma goes before що only when тому́ is stressed [src: pravopys-2026, §43, §158]. To ask why?, use чому́?; the answer often starts with Тому́ що….

Якщо and коли: if, when

Якщо́ means if for a real or possible condition. For something that will happen, Ukrainian uses the future after якщо́, where English uses the present. For an unreal condition (if I had…, I would…) use якби́ and the conditional; see The conditional. Коли́ means when, and also introduces a time clause.

The first example above is from the orthography [src: pravopys-2026, §43]. Якщо́ and якби́ are one word. Apart, як is the question word how [src: pravopys-2026, §43].

Question words inside a sentence

The question words from Questions also join clauses: хто, що, де, куди́, коли́, чому́, скі́льки. A comma goes before the question word [src: pravopys-2026, §158].

Який: who, which, that

To say the man who…, the book that…, use яки́й. It agrees with the noun it refers to in gender and number, like an adjective. Its case depends on its role inside its own clause.

Two differences from English:

• The preposition goes before яки́й, not at the end of the clause: у яко́му ми живемо́, not which we live in.
• Яки́й is not dropped the way English drops that: the book I’m reading is кни́га, яку́ я чита́ю.

When the яки́й clause sits in the middle of the sentence, it has a comma on both sides [src: pravopys-2026, §158]:

See Adjectives and agreement for the endings of яки́й.

Where the comma goes

The orthography’s comma rules are long. These are the main points for the words on this page [src: pravopys-2026, §158]:

There are exceptions. For example, no comma goes between two clauses joined by a single і when something at the start of the sentence belongs to both of them [src: pravopys-2026, §158]. Some fixed phrases have no comma at all, such as роби́ що хо́чеш (do as you like) [src: pravopys-2026, §158]. Treat the table as a guide for everyday writing.

Common mistakes and limits