Everyday needs

After this page you will be able to say what you want and what you need, say what you have and don’t have, ask someone whether they have something, and ask for water, the toilet or help.

There are four patterns on this page. Each one controls the case of the noun that follows it, so the notes on the examples point out the case.

I want: хочу

Хо́чу is the I form of хоті́ти (to want). After it you can put either a verb in the infinitive or a noun in the accusative.

I would like: хотів би, хотіла б

To make a wish softer, use the past form of хоті́ти with the small word би or б (would). The past form shows the speaker’s gender: a man says хоті́в, a woman says хоті́ла. The form is би after a consonant and usually б after a vowel.

I need: мені треба, мені потрібен

In these patterns the person who needs something is not the subject. It goes into the dative case, “to me”: мені́ (to me), тобі́ (to you, informal), вам (to you, formal or plural). Literally, Ukrainian says “To me it is necessary”.

Мені треба + infinitive

Тре́ба and потрі́бно both mean “it is necessary”. They never change their form. Put an infinitive after them to say what you need to do.

Мені потрібен + noun

To say that you need a thing, use потрі́бен (needed). It is an adjective, so it agrees with the noun, and the noun stays in the nominative. Adjectives and agreement explains this matching.

The examples mean: I need a doctor. I need help. I need a taxi. I need money. (Гро́ші, money, is always plural.)

I have, I don’t have: у мене є, у мене немає

The everyday way to say “I have” is у ме́не є, literally “at me there is”. The thing you have is the subject, so it is in the nominative. To say “I don’t have”, replace є with нема́є, and the thing goes into the genitive. Negation explains this pattern.

Change ме́не to talk about other people: у те́бе (you, informal), у вас (you, formal or plural), у ньо́го (him), у не́ї (her). To ask whether someone has something, use the same words with a question mark.

Я ма́ю (I have), from ма́ти, is also correct: Я ма́ю квито́к. The negative is Я не ма́ю + genitive. Pronouns mentions both.

Asking for things

Дайте, будь ласка + accusative

Да́йте is the ви command form of да́ти (to give). The thing you ask for is in the accusative. If you want a bottle of or a glass of something, the second noun is in the genitive, like English of.

Можна + noun?

You can also ask with Мо́жна (may I have…?) and the noun in the accusative. This does not show ти or ви. Politeness has more polite request patterns.

Toilet, water, help

The toilet

Ask Де туале́т? (Where is the toilet?). With ви́бачте and тут (here) it becomes a polite question to a stranger. Чи є тут…? asks whether there is one at all.

Water

Help

Допоможі́ть is the ви command form of допомогти́ (to help). Shouted on its own, it means “Help!”. To ask one person you say ти to, the form is Допоможи́.

Dialogue

A guest arrives at a friend’s flat after a long journey. They say ти to each other.

Common mistakes and limits