Lesson 6 - Ukrainian Made Easy

Alright, you're listening to Lesson 6 of UME. Remember, these lessons are cumulative, so if this is your first time joining us it's best to start with Lesson 1.

Let's start today by repeating this two-word phrase:

Я буду

You know that first word, Я... it's the буду part that's new for us. Say the phrase one more time:

Я буду

Ok... let that sound sink in for a bit and now let's do our review:

How would you ask:

What is this?

Що це?

Say: This is caviar.

Це ікра.

Ask: Who is this? Your lawyer?

Хто це? Твій адвокат?

Say: No. This is my dad.

Ні. Це мій тато.

Now, what was that two-word phrase we learned at the start?

Я буду

Let's see if we can figure out a good translation for it. So, imagine you're in a café. The server comes over to take your order and you say:

Добрий день, я буду борщ.

And then your business partner adds...

А я буду піцу.

Listen to the two lines again, and think of what the translation might be. Remember, we're saying this to our server who's writing down what we say:

Добрий день, я буду борщ.
Hello, I _____ borscht.

And then your cousin says:
А я буду піцу.
And I _____ pizza.

In English, there's a variety of ways we'd give our orders. We might say:
I'll have the borscht.
...or...
I'll take the borscht.
...or...
I'd like the borscht.
...and so on. Any of these translations is fine. But of course, we need to know what we're literally saying. And as it turns out "Я буду" literally means, "I will."

So all you're actually telling the café employee is: "I will borscht." The reason that feels strange to us is because the verb itself is being left off. Strange but then again, we do the same in English. When someone says, "Man, that was a hard day. I feel like a beer." What they mean is, "I feel like having a beer." or, "I feel like drinking a beer." The verb is implied.

Anyway, try it again. Say...

I'll have the borscht.

Я буду борщ.

Now there's one other really important thing I'd like you to pick up on. Listen to how your cousin orders pizza.

Я буду піцу.

Did you hear how she said піцу -- with an "uu" sound at the end, instead of піца?

пі...цу

That is an absolutely fundamental part of Ukrainian grammar and the real topic of today's lesson.

I'll explain why this happens in just a moment, but for fun, based on just that one example, how do you think she might say: I'll have caviar.

Я буду ікру.

Did you say ікру with an "uu" sound at the end? Awesome!

How about this: I'll have cola.

Я буду колу.

And yet if my co-worker orders soup, listen...

Я буду суп.

We just hear "суп". No "uu" sound at the end. So what's going on? I know I made a big point about Ukrainian being a rhyming language --- and it is --- but that's not what's going on here. Yes, budu does rhyme with ikru, but that's only coincidence. What's going on is that words that normally end in an "ah" sound --- what are called feminine nouns--- change their "ah" sound to an "uu" sound when we do something to them.

What does that mean, "doing something" to a noun? Well, do this: Make a fist with your left hand, and hold your right hand open.

I ordered a sandwich.
He wants a phone.
Mom bought a car.
I know your boss.
I'm taking an umbrella.
She's holding a suitcase.

etc, etc. These verbs all count, linguistically, as doing something to the noun. To really drive this point home, let me show you how English would sound if it had this same rule. Listen to how the word "cola" (which ends with an "ah" sound) changes in these two phrases.

This is my cola. Who drank my colu?

Notice that in the first phrase we're not doing anything to the cola; we're just stating a fact: This is my cola. But in the second one, someone has done something to the cola. They drank it.

Here's another example.

There is pasta in the cupboard.
I cooked pastu yesterday.

Again, in that first example, we're just stating a fact about the pasta's location. But in the second phrase, we've done something to the pasta. We cooked it.

Even people's names need to change in this same way:

This is my sister Tina.
I saw Tinu yesterday.

"Seeing" Tina counts as doing something to her.

Now you try it. Based on this pattern, insert the correct form of the word "sofa" ... ready?

Is this your new ______?

Yes. I bought this ______ at Ikea yesterday.

So... Is this your new sofa?
We say just sofa because we're not doing anything to it.
But: I bought this sofu at Epicenter.
Now we say sofu because we've done something to it. We bought it.

If you understand this pattern, you have mastered one of the main aspects of Ukrainian grammar.

So...let's apply this pattern now in some all-Ukrainian sentences. In a café, a server has approached the table, ready to take your order. Say:

I'll have the caviar.

Я буду ікру.

I'll have a cola.

Я буду колу.

I'll have pizza.

Я буду піцу.

I'll have borscht.

Я буду борщ.

We notice that the word борщ doesn't change. Because it's masculine. No "ah" ending.

So, imagine you're in Lviv, sitting with some co-workers in a café. As the server brings your order, one co-worker says...

Дякую

...and the waiter responds with:

Будь ласка

...and walks away. Listen again:

Дякую
Будь ласка

Your server is coming back again, this time with your pizza. Let's say the same thing your co-worker did...

Дякую

Sure enough, your server responds with...

Будь ласка

How would this exchange go in English?
Thank you.
You're welcome.

Let's listen to those words again more closely, and repeat them:

Дякую

For a more natural sound, don't overpronounce the word. Nail the first syllable, then reduce the ending. Дя.... кую

And do you recall the waiter's response when we say Дякую...?

Будь ласка

Будь... ласка

Будь ласка

Now, Будь ласка does not MEAN "you're welcome." In fact, it's literally a command:

Be kind.

So why would they tell you "Be kind" after you say Thank you? Great question. Well, normally the phrase is used when you make requests.

Open the door for me, Будь ласка.

Can you turn down the music, Будь ласка.

So it's usually functioning like the English word "please." And the reason the waiter is saying the equivalent of Please, is because he is implying: Please, there's no need to thank me.

Russian does the same thing with the word Пожалуйста. German does it with the word bitte.

They're all saying, Please, no need to thank me.

Say the exchange one more time?

Дякую.
Будь ласка

Order soup:

Я буду суп.

Order borscht:

Я буду борщ.

Order pizza:

Я буду піцу.

Order caviar:

Я буду ікру.

In the mood for some greens? What food do you think this is?

салат

In English, we say salad, with a D at the end. In Ukrainian, the word ends in a T:

салат, and the stress is at the end... са-ЛАТ

So, order a salad:

Я буду салат.

Time for some sound effects. Can you tell what beverage is being made here?

(SFX: coffee brewing)

Mmm! Кава!

(smelling) Mmm! Кава!

That last letter is an A, which makes the word...what? Right! Feminine. Say the word one more time?

Кава

Now remembering our pattern we learned earlier today, tell the waiter: I'll have a coffee.

Я буду каву.

Did you remember to change the "aa" ending to an "uu"? Right? Because ordering coffee counts as doing something to it.

Я буду каву.

Let's try to fill out the exchange a bit more. So, there you are, in a café with some Ukrainian friends. The waiter comes over and greets you...

Добрий день.

Greet him right back:

Добрий день.

Look up from your menu and tell him: I'll have the borscht, please.

Я буду борщ, будь ласка.

Your friend then says: ...whereas, I'll have a salad, please

А я буду салат, будь ласка.

Listen to how the waiter reads back your orders:

Борщ і салат, так?

Tell him: Yes. Thank you.

Так. Дякую.

He says: You're welcome.

Будь ласка.

Did you catch the word for "and," as in borscht and a salad? It was: і

So let's try that. Say: I'll have the soup and salad, please.

Я буду суп і салат, будь ласка.

Final exam here. Let's put this all together and say:

Hello, I'll have a pizza and coffee, please.

Добрий день, я буду піцу і каву, будь ласка.

One more time?

Добрий день, я буду піцу і каву, будь ласка.

Awesome! Alright, next time we'll learn two of the most common and useful words in Ukrainian. So I hope you tune in for that. In the meantime, be sure to head over to UkrainianMadeEasy.com to get your downloads.

See you next time.