🎯 Ukrainian Verb Conjugation Basics
Present tense patterns and the two conjugation classes
Two Conjugation Classes
Ukrainian verbs are divided into two conjugation classes based on the vowel in their present-tense endings. First conjugation uses -е- (or -є-). Second conjugation uses -и- (or -і-). The infinitive ending gives a hint, but you often need to know the class. Note: Most Ukrainian verbs come in imperfective/perfective pairs (e.g., читати/прочитати). This guide covers basic conjugation patterns — see the Perfective & Imperfective Aspect guide for the full aspect system.
| Class | Key Vowel | Example Infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| First (I) | -е- | читати (to read), писати (to write) |
| Second (II) | -и- | говорити (to speak), робити (to do) |
First Conjugation
First conjugation verbs use -е- in most endings. Here's the pattern with "читати" (to read):
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (я / ми) | читаю | читаємо |
| 2nd (ти / ви) | читаєш | читаєте |
| 3rd (він,вона / вони) | читає | читають |
Second Conjugation
Second conjugation verbs use -и- in their endings. Here's "говорити" (to speak):
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (я / ми) | говорю | говоримо |
| 2nd (ти / ви) | говориш | говорите |
| 3rd (він,вона / вони) | говорить | говорять |
Key Irregular Verbs
The most common Ukrainian verbs are irregular. These must be memorized individually. Note that бути (to be) is typically OMITTED in present tense Ukrainian — unlike most languages, you simply drop the verb. The table below shows бути in its past and future forms, since those are the ones actually used in speech.
| Verb | я | ти | він/вона | ми | вони |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| бути — past | був (m) / була (f) | був (m) / була (f) | був (m) / була (f) / було (n) | були | були |
| бути — future | буду | будеш | буде | будемо | будуть |
| їсти (to eat) | їм | їсиш | їсть | їмо | їдять |
| дати (to give) | дам | даси | дасть | дамо | дадуть |
| їхати (to go/drive) | їду | їдеш | їде | їдемо | їдуть |
| хотіти (to want) | хочу | хочеш | хоче | хочемо | хочуть |
Past Tense Basics
Ukrainian past tense is simpler than the present — it doesn't conjugate by person, only by gender and number. Drop the -ти from the infinitive and add: -в (masculine), -ла (feminine), -ло (neuter), -ли (plural).
| Gender | читати | говорити |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine (він) | читав | говорив |
| Feminine (вона) | читала | говорила |
| Neuter (воно) | читало | говорило |
| Plural (вони) | читали | говорили |
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