Lesson 19 - Ukrainian Made Easy

Ukrainian Made Easy Lesson 19
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Welcome to UME Lesson 19. Today we'll learn a very useful construction to talk about what we have. So let's start by repeating this new phrase:

У мене є

That's three words: У / мене / є /

One more time? У мене є

So, imagine you're hanging out with your friend when she tells you, "Darn, I need to make an important call but my battery's dead." So you take out your cellphone and say:

У мене є телефон. Хочеш?

Word for word, he's saying: At...me....there exists....telephone. Want?

У / мене / є / телефон. / Хочеш?

Up to speed? У мене є телефон. Хочеш?

This is another really important moment where we want to note this Super Literal Translation.

In normal English: I have a car.

Super literally in Ukrainian: At me there exists car.

У мене є машина.

That second word is: мене

And it's the same version of "me" that we encountered back in Lesson 4. Say: My name is Steve.

Мене звати Стів.

Or in Lesson 12: Don't you see me?

Ти мене не бачиш?

Imagine you've asked a friend if she has anything you can drink. She opens the fridge...

I have cola,

How will she phrase it? -- At me there exists cola.

У мене є кола.

And notice that the feminine word кола doesn't change. That's because the cola is actually the subject of the sentence. We're not doing anything to the cola. It's the cola that's existing at me.

Try saying: I have a computer. (Lit: At me there is a computer.)

У мене є комп'ютер.

Alright. Time for some review. Ask your friend:

Do you need an apartment?

Тобі потрібна квартира?

Tell your friend: I like your car.

Мені подобається твоя машина.

Ask your friend: Where's your apartment? Downtown?

Де твоя квартира? У центрі?

Ask your friend: Want a souvenir?

Хочеш сувенір?

Say: No, I don't need a souvenir.

Ні. Мені не потрібен сувенір.

To a friend: Where's your computer?

Де твій комп'ютер?

Tell him: I need the internet.

Мені потрібен інтернет.

And finally, say: You speak Spanish well.

Ти добре говориш іспанською.

Ok. Let's get back to today's new construction. Imagine you just offered your friend coffee but he said he didn't want any. Tell him: I have tea.

У мене є чай.

So again, we know these two forms of the word "me" now. Say...

I need a telephone. (Lit: To me is needed a phone.)

Мені потрібен телефон.

Now say: I have a telephone.

Literally: At me there is a telephone.

У мене є телефон.

Again, that's: мені versus мене.

мені / мене

So, with that in mind, how do you think you'd ask a friend:

Do you have a telephone?

Hit PAUSE and think about it for a moment.

(swell)

Lit: At you there is a telephone?

У тебе є телефон?

Did you hear the word тебе? Say it one more time:

У тебе є телефон?

Let's compare: Do you need a computer?

Literally: TO YOU is needed a computer?

Тобі потрібен комп'ютер?

Now ask: AT YOU there is a computer?

У тебе є комп'ютер?

So we have: to you = Тобі

...versus...

at you = У тебе

тобі....тебе

Ask your friend: Do you have a car?

У тебе є машина?

Now let's learn how to use this construction to say or ask what other people have. First, how do you say: This is my friend John.

Це мій друг Джон.

У Джона є машина.

Did you hear that? Say just..."At John..."

У Джона.

Based on that one example, how do you think you'd say:

Mark has a telephone.

У Марка є телефон.

У / Марка....At Mark.

Let's discuss what's going on here in today's tip...

TIP OF THE DAY

In Ukrainian, there are many small words, like "У" that we just learned, and "в" as in

в МакДональдсі.

And "на" as in на роботі. These little words, called prepositions, have a big effect on the words that follow.

For example, ask: Where's the store?

Де магазин?

But now say: I'm now in the store.

Я зараз в магазині.

That little word, "в" forced the word магазин to change to магазині. And that Ukrainian word "у", which we've been translating today as "at", also affects the words that follow. For example:

This is Ivan.

Це Іван.

But to say: At Ivan there is a computer....his name changes.

У Івана є комп'ютер.

As we're seeing, the pattern with masculine words and names --- when we have "У" in front of them --- is to simply add an "ah" sound at the end. У Марка....У Вадима...and so on.

Now listen to these: This is Olga.

Це Ольга.

Olga has a car. (Literally: AT Olga there is a car.)

У Ольги є машина.

How might you say: This is Svetlana. Svetlana has a computer.

Це Світлана. У Світлани є комп'ютер.

So, the pattern with feminine words and names --- when we have "У" in front of them --- is to change the "а" sound at the end to an "и" sound. У Світлани....У Ольги ...and so on.

Again, the takeaway here is: Keep an eye out --- well, an keep ear out --- for the effect that these little words have on the words that follow.

Alright, let's look at a new word. Repeat after the speaker:

кішка

One more time: кішка

(SFX: kitty cat)

The only pet I have is a кішка named Fluffy. She likes to sit in my lap and she purrs when I pet her.

So, a кішка is a cat.

How would you say: This is my cat Fluffy.

Це моя кішка Флафі.

I like your cat.

Мені подобається твоя кішка.

I want a cat.

Я хочу кішку.

I have a cat.

У мене є кішка.

Can you hit pause and repeat all four of those phrases again? Give it a try...

(music)

And one more new word. Listen and repeat:

ручка

Again?

ручка

Can you guess what it is? Here it is in context.

I have two writing utensils on my desk. The wooden one that writes with lead is a pencil, and the plastic one that writes with ink is called a ручка.

So a ручка is a pen.

Ask your friend: Do you have a pen?

У тебе є ручка?

Say: I need a pen.

Мені потрібна ручка.

Imagine your friend has a really cool, glow-in-the-dark pen. Tell her:

I want your pen!

Я хочу твою ручку!

How would you say: Taras has a pen.

У Тараса є ручка.

Say: Mom has a cat.

У мами є кішка.

Let's work in other recent vocabulary. Say...

This is Dasha.

Це Даша.

Dasha has an apartment in the center.

У Даші є квартира в центрі.

This is Ivan.

Це Іван.

Ivan has a car.

У Івана є машина.

(Notice we say Ivan, they say Іван.)

This is my dad.

Це мій тато.

Dad has a computer.

У тата є комп'ютер.

Before we end, let's ask our friend one more time:

Do you have a kitty cat?

У тебе є кішка?

How will she say: Yes, I have a cat.

Так, у мене є кішка.

Awesome job today. Don't miss the Lesson 20...The final exam of Volume 1.

You get ready for that, and I'll see you then!

Of course, please go to UkrainianMadeEasy.com to get the transcript and the audio downloads.

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