Understanding Українська Verb Conjugation
In Ukrainian, verbs change their form to match the subject of the sentence. This is called conjugation. It helps us know who is doing the action and when it is happening.
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or regularly. In Ukrainian, verbs are conjugated differently depending on the subject.
Important Points
- I (я) - add 'ю' or 'у' to the verb stem
- You (ти) - add 'єш' or 'еш'
- He/She/It (він/вона/воно) - add 'є' or 'е'
- We (ми) - add 'ємо' or 'емо'
- You all (ви) - add 'єте' or 'ете'
- They (вони) - add 'ють' or 'уть'
Examples
- Я читаю книгу.
- Ви пишете лист.
- Вони грають у футбол.
The past tense is used to talk about actions that have already happened. In Ukrainian, verbs change based on the gender and number of the subject.
Important Points
- Masculine singular - add 'в' to the verb stem
- Feminine singular - add 'ла'
- Neuter singular - add 'ло'
- Plural - add 'ли'
Examples
- Він читав книгу.
- Вона читала книгу.
- Вони читали книги.
The future tense describes actions that will happen. In Ukrainian, you can use either a simple or a compound form.
Important Points
- Simple future: Add 'тиму', 'тимеш', 'тиме', etc., to the verb stem.
- Compound future: Use the verb 'бути' (to be) in the future tense with the infinitive form of the main verb.
Examples
- Я читатиму книгу.
- Ви будете читати книгу.
- Вони читатимуть книги.
The imperative mood is used to give commands or make requests. In Ukrainian, the verb form changes to match the subject.
Important Points
- For 'ти' (you singular), remove the infinitive ending and add 'й' or 'и'.
- For 'ви' (you plural), remove the infinitive ending and add 'йте' or 'іть'.
Examples
- Читай книгу!
- Пишіть лист!
- Грайте у футбол!