Verbs of motion

After this page you will be able to choose between the two Ukrainian verbs for “go on foot”, “go by transport”, “run”, “fly”, “swim”, “carry” and “take by vehicle”. You will know when to say іти́ and when йти, how to say “I went there and came back”, and how prefixes such as при-, ви- and у- make verbs like arrive, go out and go in. You will also know which preposition and case to use for “to”, “into” and “out of”.

Two verbs for one English verb

English has one verb go. Ukrainian has two for going on foot, two for going by transport, and so on. The two verbs in each pair are both imperfective, and they share an English translation.

• The first verb is used for movement in one direction, usually happening now or at a particular time: “I’m going to work”.
• The second verb is used for movement in different directions or many times, and for round trips and abilities: “I go to work every day”, “children run around”, “I can swim”.

The dictionary defines the second verb of each pair in these terms. Ї́здити is “to travel many times or in different directions”, and бі́гати, носи́ти and вози́ти are “the same as” бі́гти, нести́ and везти́, but repeated or in different directions [src: goroh-dictionary].

All the forms come from the Горох dictionary [src: goroh-dictionary]. Notice the consonant changes in the I forms: ходжу́, ї́жджу, лечу́, ношу́, вожу́. The present tense page shows the same change in ходжу́. Пливти́ and плисти́ are two spellings of one verb with the same present tense [src: goroh-dictionary].

Іти or йти?

Іти́ and йти are the same verb, and the dictionary lists both [src: goroh-dictionary]. The choice follows the same sound rule as і and й (and): й after a vowel, і after a consonant. The orthography’s own example is Вона́ йде [src: pravopys-2026, §24].

So: Він іде́, but Вона́ йде and Я йду. The you (ти) form after ти is Ти йдеш. The same choice applies in the past tense: ішо́в, ішла́, ішли́ or йшов, йшла, йшли [src: goroh-dictionary]. The short forms of one syllable, like йду, have no stress mark.

Using the pairs

One direction, now

Many times, around, there and back

Ability

The second verb also says what a person or an animal can do. The dictionary gives “to be able to swim” as a meaning of пла́вати, and “to have the ability to fly” for літа́ти [src: goroh-dictionary].

Носити: also “to wear”

Носи́ти also means “to wear” or “to have on you” [src: goroh-dictionary]: Він но́сить окуля́ри (He wears glasses). Нести́ never has this meaning.

In the past: went, and went there and back

In the past tense the difference matters. Ходи́в or ї́здив usually reports a trip that is over: you went and came back. The dictionary gives this sense of ходи́ти as “to set off somewhere with a purpose” [src: goroh-dictionary]. Ішо́в or ї́хав describes the journey itself, while it was happening.

The past forms of the one-direction verbs are worth learning on their own, because some are irregular [src: goroh-dictionary]:

Prefixes: arrive, leave, go in, go out

A prefix on іти́ makes a perfective verb with a more exact meaning: прийти́ (to arrive, to come). In most of them the root is spelled -йти (прийти́, ви́йти); піти́ is an exception. The imperfective partner is made from ходи́ти: прихо́дити. See aspect in the glossary.

All the verbs in the table are in the dictionary [src: goroh-dictionary]. A few points:

• The stress of ви́йти is on the prefix, in every form: ви́йду, ви́йдеш, ви́йшов.
• Увійти́ or ввійти́ follows the у / в rule: в- after a vowel, у- after a consonant. The orthography’s own example is Го́сті ввійшли́ до за́ли (The guests came into the hall) [src: pravopys-2026, §23].
• Піти́ is the usual perfective of іти́: “to set off, to go” [src: goroh-dictionary]. Він пішо́в means “he has left, he has gone”.
• Захо́дити has the stress on -хо́-. With the stress on -ди́-, заходи́ти is a different verb: “to start walking up and down” [src: goroh-dictionary].

Perfective verbs have no present tense. Their present-looking forms refer to the future: Я прийду́ о шо́стій means “I will come at six”. The future tense page explains this, and Aspect explains the pairs.

The stress moves: прийду́, but при́йдеш, при́йде. Перейти́, увійти́ and дійти́ work the same way: перейду́, пере́йдеш; увійду́, уві́йдеш; дійду́, ді́йдеш [src: goroh-dictionary].

The same prefixes with їхати

The prefixes work with ї́хати too. The imperfective partners end in -їжджа́ти: приї́хати / приїжджа́ти (to arrive by transport), ви́їхати / виїжджа́ти (to drive out, to leave). The perfective of ї́хати itself is пої́хати (to set off, to go) [src: goroh-dictionary].

Which preposition: to, into, out of

Direction “to” usually takes до with the genitive, or в/у or на with the accusative. Words that take на for “at” take на for “to” as well: на робо́ті (at work), на робо́ту (to work). The prepositions page and Directions explain this difference between a place and a direction.

Common mistakes and limits