Lesson 10 - Ukrainian Made Easy
You're listening to Lesson 10 of UME. Today is the midterm exam. And as I mentioned last time, we're going to have you play the role of interpreter. Aside from being fun practice, this is also pretty realistic. After all, you're probably the only person in your group who speaks Ukrainian. So they'll need you to interpret for them if they go with you to say, Kiev or Lviv. And so, get ready to translate...
Quick note: For any newcomers...the lessons in this course are cumulative. Each lesson assumes you've mastered the material taught in all the previous lessons. So, if you're just tuning in, please start with Lesson #1. Everyone else, let's dive into the exam. Please translate the following:
Добрий день. Мене звати Володимир.
Hello. My name is Vladimir.
А як Вас звати?
And what's your name?
Це мій друг Сергій. Він музикант.
This is my friend Sergei. He is a musician.
А це моя подруга Наташа. Вона -- студентка.
And this is my friend Natasha. She is a student.
Джон -- американець. A Катя -- англійка.
John is an American, whereas Katya is an Englishwoman.
Марк, це твій тато?
Mark, is this your dad?
Так. Він -- адвокат.
Yes. He's a lawyer.
А це твоя мама?
And this is your mom?
Так. Вона -- програміст.
Yes. She is a programmer.
Мій тато австралієць, а мама американка.
My dad is an Australian, whereas my mom is an American.
Сергій, їсти хочеш?
Sergei, want to eat?
А що є?
And what is there?
Є спагеті, салат, і суп.
There is spaghetti, salad and soup.
Добре. Я буду спагеті, будь ласка.
Ok. I'll have spaghetti, please.
А ти Катя? Що ти хочеш їсти?
And you, Katya? What do you want to eat?
А я хочу борщ.
And I want borscht.
In this next one, there's a word that's new to these podcasts. The word is чи. Can you figure out what it means?
Хочеш чай, чи каву?
Want tea or coffee?
Хмм...Чай, будь ласка.
Hmm...Tea, please.
So, чи functions as "or". Let's try those last two phrases again...
Want tea or coffee?
Хочеш чай, чи каву?
Hmm...Tea, please.
Хмм...Чай, будь ласка.
Imagine you're standing outside a pizzeria / sushi bar. Your friend asks:
А що ти хочеш... піцу чи суші?
He asking...What do you want? Pizza or sushi?
А що ти хочеш... піцу чи суші?
Tell him: I don't want to eat.
Я не хочу їсти.
A great tip for maximizing your practice time is to, from time to time, hit pause and turn the phrase you just heard into a construction. For example, that last phrase before the break was:
Я не хочу їсти.
The content word there is їсти. That's the word you can take out to insert other words. So you might say: I don't want pizza.
Я не хочу піцу.
I don't want borscht.
Я не хочу борщ.
sushi
Я не хочу суші.
pancakes
Я не хочу млинці.
It's a great habit to get into when you're listening to a lot of Ukrainian. Hit pause after a particular phrase and treat it as a construction.
Alright! Let's keep going. Translate the following...
Марк, а хто це?
Mark, who is this?
Це мій друг Джон. Він -- інженер.
This is my friend John. He's an engineer.
Він -- канадець.
He's a Canadian.
А хто це?
And who's this?
Це моя подруга Дженіфер. Вона -- австралійка.
This is my friend Jennifer. She's Australian.
Хочеш йогурт чи маффін чи млинці?
Want yogurt or a muffin or crepes?
Ні, дякую. Я не хочу їсти.
No, thanks. I don't want to eat.
Ікру?
Caviar?
Хмм...ікру? Ні, дякую. Я не хочу
Hmm...caviar? No thanks. I don't want.
Хочеш капучино?
Want a cappuccino?
Добре. Дякую.
Ok. Thanks.
So, how'd you do with all these? If you got most or all, then you're doing great. This episode was kind of a mid-term, so we're getting out of class early today. But today's exercises are longer. What I did for the download exercises was take today's translation practice and flip it around. So, for homework, you need to say each of today's phrases in Ukrainian. So be sure to download those, and I'll see you in the next episode.
When conveying the idea of "or" in Ukrainian, which should we use: "або" ..or... "чи"?
Great question! In Ukrainian, "або" and "чи" can both mean "or", but they are used in different contexts.
1. "або" = "or" (offering options, neutral or exclusive)
Used in statements to offer choices:
Я п'ю чай або каву.
(I drink tea or coffee.)
Ти хочеш яблуко або банан?
(Do you want an apple or a banana?)
It can be inclusive ("maybe both") or exclusive ("one or the other"), depending on context.
2. "чи" = "or" (used mostly in questions)
Used in yes/no or choice questions:
Ти хочеш чай чи каву?
(Do you want tea or coffee?)
Це твоя книга чи твого брата?
(Is this your book or your brother's?)
In these cases, "чи" is more natural than "або" and signals a question expecting one of the options.
In a statement → або
Вона читає роман або газету.
In a question → чи
Ти читаєш роман чи газету?
In casual speech, Ukrainians sometimes do use "або" in questions, but "чи" is the proper form and sounds more natural --- especially if you're learning the language.
Download Lesson 10 PDF Transcript