Questions & Negation
Warm-up
You've learned to make statements in Ukrainian: «Я читаю книгу» (I read a book). But conversations aren't just statements - they're questions and answers, agreements and disagreements!
In English, asking «Do you read?» requires changing word order or adding «do/does». Ukrainian is simpler - you just add the little word чи at the beginning! And saying «no»? Just put не before the verb.
💡 Did You Know?
Ukrainian is very flexible with questions. You can ask «Чи ти читаєш?» (formal) or just «Ти читаєш?» (casual, with rising intonation). Both work! Context and tone tell you it's a question.
Presentation
Yes/No Questions with Чи
The simplest way to turn any statement into a yes/no question is to add чи at the beginning:
| Statement | Question (with чи) |
|---|---|
| Ти читаєш. | Чи ти читаєш? |
| You read. | Do you read? |
| Вона працює. | Чи вона працює? |
| She works. | Does she work? |
| Ми знаємо. | Чи ми знаємо? |
| We know. | Do we know? |
The pattern: Чи + subject + verb?
In casual speech, Ukrainians often skip чи and just use rising intonation:
- Ти читаєш? ↗ (You read? = Do you read?)
Answering:
- Так (Tak) = Yes
- Ні (Ni) = No
🎬 Pop Culture Moment
In the Ukrainian dub of Marvel's Avengers, when someone asks «Ти читаєш?» (Do you read this?), they skip чи because it's action-packed! But in formal meetings, they use «Чи ви читаєте?» (Do you [formal] read?). Same question, different register!
Mini-Dialogue 1: At a Café
— Чи ти хочеш каву? (Chy ty khochesh kavu?)
— Так, дякую! (Tak, dyakuyu!)
— Чи ти знаєш, де туалет? (Chy ty znayesh, de tualet?)
— Ні, не знаю. (Ni, ne znayu.)
Question Words
Ukrainian has question words (like English «what, who, where») that replace the unknown part of the sentence:
| Ukrainian | IPA | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| що | /ʃt͡ʃɔ/ | what | Що ти читаєш? (What do you read?) |
| хто | /xtɔ/ | who | Хто працює? (Who works?) |
| де | /dɛ/ | where (location) | Де ти? (Where are you?) |
| куди | /ˈkudɪ/ | where (to) | Куди ти йдеш? (Where are you going?) |
| звідки | /ˈzʲʋidkɪ/ | where from | Звідки ти? (Where are you from?) |
| коли | /kɔˈlɪ/ | when | Коли ти працюєш? (When do you work?) |
| чому | /t͡ʃɔˈmu/ | why | Чому ти читаєш? (Why do you read?) |
| як | /jɑk/ | how | Як ти? (How are you?) |
| скільки | /ˈskilʲkɪ/ | how much/many | Скільки це коштує? (How much is this?) |
Pattern: Question word + verb + rest of sentence
Notice: Unlike English, you don't need «do/does» - the question word itself signals it's a question!
🔍 Myth Buster
Myth: «Question words must come first in Ukrainian.» Fact: While they usually do, Ukrainians often move them for emphasis! «Ти куди йдеш?» (You where going? = Where exactly are you going?) feels more urgent than «Куди ти йдеш?»
Mini-Dialogue 2: Getting to Know Someone
— Як тебе звуть? (Yak tebe zvut?) — What's your name?
— Мене звуть Марко. (Mene zvut Marko.) — My name is Marko.
— Звідки ти? (Zvidky ty?) — Where are you from?
— я з Києва. а ти? (Ya z Kyyeva. A ty?) — I'm from Kyiv. And you?
— я з Америки. (Ya z Ameryky.) — I'm from America.
Negation with Не
To make a verb negative, just put не (ne) before it. Simple!
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Я читаю. | Я не читаю. |
| I read. | I don't read. |
| Вона працює. | Вона не працює. |
| She works. | She doesn't work. |
| Ми знаємо. | Ми не знаємо. |
| We know. | We don't know. |
Key difference from English: In Ukrainian, you don't need «don't/doesn't/didn't» - just не + verb!
Common negative constructions:
- Я не розумію. = I don't understand.
- Я не знаю. = I don't know.
- Це не правда. = That's not true.
🌍 Real World
Ukrainians are very direct with negation. If you ask «Чи ти знаєш?», a simple «Ні, не знаю» is perfectly polite. No need to soften it with «I'm afraid I don't...» like in English!
Mini-Dialogue 3: Misunderstandings
— Чи ти говориш англійською?
— Так, говорю. А ти?
— Ні, я не говорю англійською. Я говорю українською.
— Добре! Ми говоримо українською!
Frequency Adverbs
When talking about how often you do things, Ukrainian uses these adverbs:
| Adverb | IPA | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| завжди | /ˈzɑʋʒdɪ/ | always | Я завжди читаю. (I always read.) |
| часто | /ˈt͡ʃɑstɔ/ | often | Вона часто працює. (She often works.) |
| іноді | /iˈnɔdi/ | sometimes | Ми іноді говоримо. (We sometimes talk.) |
| рідко | /ˈridkɔ/ | rarely | Він рідко пише. (He rarely writes.) |
| ніколи | /nʲiˈkɔlɪ/ | never | Я ніколи не п'ю каву. (I never drink coffee.) |
| звичайно | /zvɪˈt͡ʃɑjnɔ/ | usually | Я звичайно снідаю вдома. (I usually have breakfast at home.) |
Important: Ніколи (never) is already negative, but Ukrainian uses double negation - you still add не!
- Я ніколи не п'ю каву. (I never drink coffee.) ✅
- Я ніколи п'ю каву. ❌ (Wrong - missing не!)
This is called double negation and it's mandatory in Ukrainian.
💡 Did You Know?
Ukrainian loves double negation! «Я нічого не знаю» (I nothing don't know = I don't know anything) feels natural to Ukrainians. This pattern comes from older Slavic languages and makes negation extra clear.
Practice
Now you know:
- ✅ How to ask yes/no questions with чи
- ✅ Question words (що, хто, де, куди, коли, чому, як, скільки)
- ✅ How to say no with не
- ✅ Frequency adverbs (завжди, часто, іноді, рідко, ніколи, звичайно)
Let's practice!
Production
Task: Create a conversation
Imagine you meet someone new at a café in Lviv. Use what you learned to:
- Ask their name (Як тебе звуть?)
- Ask where they're from (Звідки ти?)
- Ask if they read Ukrainian (Чи ти читаєш українською?)
- Say something you don't do (Я не...)
- Say something you always do (Я завжди...)
Model Answer:
— Привіт! Як тебе звуть? (Hi! What's your name?)
— Мене звуть Оля. а тебе? (My name is Olya. And yours?)
— Марко. Звідки ти? (Marko. Where are you from?)
— я з Львова. а ти? (I'm from Lviv. And you?)
— я з Києва. Чи ти читаєш українською? (I'm from Kyiv. Do you read in Ukrainian?)
— Так! я завжди читаю українською. а ти? (Yes! I always read in Ukrainian. And you?)
— я часто читаю, але іноді не розумію. (I often read, but sometimes I don't understand.)
— Нічого! Це нормально. (No problem! That's normal.)
Cultural Insight
Ukrainian Directness with Questions
Ukrainians are generally more direct than English speakers when asking questions. Simple questions are common even with new acquaintances - especially from older generations.
This isn't rude - it's genuine interest! Ukrainians value honesty and directness in conversation.
Common Questions You'll Hear:
- Звідки ти? (Where are you from?)
- Що ти робиш? (What do you do?)
- Чому ти вивчаєш українську? (Why do you study Ukrainian?)
- Чи ти хочеш каву? (Do you want coffee?)
🎭 Culture Corner
When Ukrainians ask «Як справи?» (How are things?), they actually want to know! Unlike the English «How are you?» (often just a greeting), Ukrainians expect a real answer. Feel free to say «Не дуже добре» (Not so great) - they'll ask why and genuinely care.
📋 Підсумок
Questions with Чи:
- Чи + subject + verb? = Yes/no question
- Так (yes) / Ні (no)
Question Words:
- що (what), хто (who), де (where), куди (where to), звідки (where from)
- коли (when), чому (why), як (how), скільки (how much/many)
Negation:
- не + verb = negative
- ніколи (never) STILL needs не: «Я ніколи не...»
Frequency:
- завжди (always), часто (often), звичайно (usually)
- іноді (sometimes), рідко (rarely), ніколи (never)
Need More Practice?
External Review
🎯 Activities
Question Word Meanings
What is the meaning of the word «де»?
Which question word means "why"?
How do you say "when" in Ukrainian?
What is the meaning of the word «хто»?
Which word asks "where to"?
How do you say "how much/many"?
What is the meaning of the word «звідки»?
Which Ukrainian word means "what"?
How do you say "how"?
What is the question word for "who"?
Which Ukrainian word corresponds to "where" (location)?
How do you ask "why" in Ukrainian?
Question Words to Context
Complete Questions
Question and Negation Rules
«Чи» at the beginning of a sentence signals a yes/no question.
Ukrainian question words require "do/does" like English.
«Не» goes directly before the verb to make it negative.
«Ніколи» (never) doesn't need «не» because it's already negative.
You can skip «чи» in casual speech and use rising intonation instead.
«Де» and «куди» mean exactly the same thing.
«Звідки» asks about origin or source.
Ukrainian uses double negation with words like «ніколи» (never).
«Що» can only mean "what", never "that".
Frequency adverbs like «завжди» (always) can come before or after the verb.
To ask "how are you", Ukrainians always say «Як справи?»
«Так» means yes and «ні» means no.
Frequency Adverbs
Always/Usually
Sometimes/Rarely
Never
Add Negation
Question Words
Frequency Words
Negative Sentence Order
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "I don't read."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "She doesn't work."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "We don't know."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "I never drink coffee."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "He doesn't speak Ukrainian."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "I don't understand."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "That's not true."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "You don't write."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "We never eat meat."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "They don't listen to music."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "I don't work today."
Identify the correct word order for the sentence: "I don't want tea."
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | IPA | English | POS | Gender | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| америка | /amˈɛrɪka/ | America | noun | ж | |
| звати | /zʋˈatɪ/ | to call (by name) | verb | ||
| нормально | /nɔrmˈalʲnɔ/ | normally, okay | adv | ||
| ніщо | /niʃt͡ʃˈɔ/ | nothing | pron | ||
| рідко | /rˈidkɔ/ | rarely | adv | ||
| туалет | /tualˈɛt/ | toilet, restroom | noun | ч |