Introductions

After this page you will be able to introduce yourself in Ukrainian: say your name and ask for someone else’s, say where you are from and where you live, say what you do, and say that you are pleased to meet someone.

Each section gives a pattern with a slot for your own words, such as Мене́ звуть + name. Learn the pattern and you can fill the slot with anything that fits.

Your name

Мене звуть + name

The usual way to give your name is Мене́ звуть + your name. Literally it means “They call me…”.

• звуть is the they form of the verb зва́ти (to call).
• мене́ is a case form of я: me, the person being called. Because the verb has no subject, the sentence simply means “I’m called…”.
• The name is usually in its dictionary form: Мене́ звуть Оле́на.

To ask someone’s name, put як (how) in front and replace мене́ with the right form of you: тебе́ for ти, вас for ви. You will also hear the question with the infinitive зва́ти: Як вас зва́ти? It means the same. Pronouns and Questions show both versions.

To ask about someone else, use the form of він or вона́ that goes in the same slot: його́ (him) or її́ (her).

Я + name, моє ім’я + name

Two shorter patterns also work. Я Оле́на. is literally “I [am] Olena.” Ukrainian leaves out am in the present tense, as Sentence structure explains. Моє́ ім’я́ — Оле́на. means “My name is Olena.” Here the dash stands where English has is, because both sides are nouns.

Ім’я́ (name) is neuter, so my is моє́, not мій. Ім’я́ means a first name. A surname is прі́звище.

Nice to meet you

Приє́мно means “[it is] pleasant”. Ukrainian needs no it is here: the word alone makes a sentence. Add ду́же (very) to make it stronger, or add познайо́митися (to get acquainted) to say exactly what is pleasant.

To answer, say Мені́ теж. (Me too.) Мені́ is the dative case of я, “to me”: literally “To me too [it is pleasant]”. You can also say Навза́єм. (Likewise.) You will also hear Взає́мно., but some usage guides prefer навза́єм [src: goroh-usage].

Where you are from: з + country or city

To say where you come from, use з (from) with the place name in the genitive case. The genitive ending often replaces the last vowel: Кана́да → з Кана́ди. Common prepositions has more on з and the genitive.

The question is Зві́дки (where from) + the person: Зві́дки ти?, Зві́дки ви?

The word for from has three forms: з, із and зі. Before a vowel and before most single consonants it is з. Before some groups of consonants, such as the льв in Льво́ва, it is зі [src: pravopys-2026, §25]. For the place names on this page, з is what you need, except for зі Льво́ва.

Where you live: живу в / у + place

Я живу́ means “I live”. The place takes в or у (in) and the locative case, which often ends in -і: Ки́їв → у Ки́єві, Ло́ндон → у Ло́ндоні.

The question is Де (where) + the verb: Де ти живе́ш?, Де ви живете́?

As with з, the choice between у and в is about easy pronunciation. After a vowel and before a single consonant it is usually в; before в, ф and groups like льв it is у [src: pravopys-2026, §23]. Both mean the same.

What you do

Я + job

The simplest way is Я + the noun, again with no word for am. Many job words have a masculine and a feminine form, so choose the one that matches you.

Я працюю + job in the instrumental

You can also say Я працю́ю (I work) + the job in the instrumental case, “I work as…”. For masculine nouns the ending is often -ом or -ем. The question uses the instrumental of хто: Ким ви працю́єте? (What do you do?, literally “As whom do you work?”)

Learning Ukrainian

Two sentences you will use a lot as a learner. Вивча́ти (to study, to learn) takes the accusative: украї́нську, short for украї́нську мо́ву (the Ukrainian language). Розмовля́ти (to speak, to talk) takes the instrumental: украї́нською, “in Ukrainian”.

Dialogue

Two people meet on a language course. They are about the same age and use ти from the start.

Common mistakes and limits