The Living Verb II
Warm-up
You've already learned First Conjugation verbs that end in -ати (читати, писати, працювати). But what about verbs like говорити /ˈɦɔvɔrɪtɪ/ «to speak» and робити /ˈrɔbɪtɪ/ «to do»? These belong to the Second Conjugation — the -ити family. They're everywhere in Ukrainian, powering actions from speaking and seeing to loving and wanting. Let's unlock this essential verb group!
Like the verbs from Module 06, these are imperfective verbs (недоконаний вид). They describe actions in progress or habits. You are building the foundation of «how» and «when» things happen in Ukrainian!
Presentation
Second Conjugation Conjugation Pattern
The Second Conjugation (Ukrainian: друга дієвідміна) verbs end in -ити or -іти in the infinitive. When you conjugate them, they follow a different pattern from the First Conjugation (Ukrainian: перша дієвідміна). Here's the key change:
Conjugation formula: Drop -ити/-іти, add these endings:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (I, we) | -ю / -у | -имо |
| 2nd (you) | -иш | -ите |
| 3rd (he/she/they) | -ить | -ять / -ать |
Example: говорити /ˈɦɔvɔrɪtɪ/ — to speak
| Person | Ukrainian | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | говорю | /ɦɔvɔˈrʲu/ | I speak |
| ти | говориш | /ˈɦɔvɔrɪʃ/ | you speak |
| він/вона | говорить | /ˈɦɔvɔrɪtʲ/ | he/she speaks |
| ми | говоримо | /ɦɔvɔˈrɪmɔ/ | we speak |
| ви | говорите | /ɦɔvɔˈrɪtɛ/ | you (pl/formal) speak |
| вони | говорять | /ˈɦɔvɔrʲɑtʲ/ | they speak |
The -ити ending is ancient! It comes from Proto-Slavic and is shared with Polish, Czech, and other Slavic languages. When you say говорити, you're using a verb form that's over 1,000 years old.
Key Examples with Second Conjugation Verbs
Let's see these verbs in action:
-
Я говорю українською. I speak Ukrainian.
-
Ти робиш вправу? Do you do an exercise?
-
Вона бачить студента. She sees the student.
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Ми дивимося фільм. We watch a movie.
-
Ви ходите в університет? Do you go to university?
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Вони люблять Україну. They love Ukraine.
-
Я сиджу вдома. I sit at home.
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Він стоїть біля вікна. He stands by the window.
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Вона спить. She sleeps.
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Ми вчимо українську мову. We study the Ukrainian language.
-
Ти пам'ятаєш це слово? Do you remember this word?
-
Вони просять допомогу. They ask for help.
Irregular Verbs: їсти, пити, хотіти
Some common verbs don't follow the standard pattern. Here are three essentials:
їсти /ˈjistɪ/ — to eat
| я їм | ти їси | він/вона їсть | ми їмо | ви їсте | вони їдять |
|---|
пити /ˈpɪtɪ/ — to drink
| я п'ю | ти п'єш | він/вона п'є | ми п'ємо | ви п'єте | вони п'ють |
|---|
хотіти /xɔˈtitɪ/ — to want
| я хочу | ти хочеш | він/вона хоче | ми хочемо | ви хочете | вони хочуть |
|---|
-
Вона п'є каву. She drinks coffee.
-
Ми хочемо вчитися. We want to study.
-
Ти хочеш борщ? Do you want borscht?
In the Ukrainian dub of Harry Potter, when Ron says «I want to eat,» it's «Я хочу їсти». Two irregular verbs in one sentence! Ukrainian kids learn these patterns from the movies they love.
Practice
Mini-Dialogue 1: At the Café in Lviv
Марко: Привіт, Олено! Ти п'єш каву? Hi, Olena! Are you drinking coffee?
Олена: Так, я п'ю каву. Я також читаю книгу. Yes, I'm drinking coffee. I also read a book.
Марко: Я хочу їсти. Ти любиш борщ? I want to eat. Do you love borscht?
Олена: Так, я дуже люблю борщ! Yes, I love borscht very much!
Mini-Dialogue 2: On Campus in Kyiv
Іван: Ти бачиш Катю? Do you see Katya?
Марія: Так, вона стоїть біля вікна. Yes, she stands by the window.
Іван: Вона телефонує? Is she calling?
Марія: Так, вона говорить українською. Yes, she speaks Ukrainian.
Pattern Recognition: Consonant Mutation
Notice how some Second Conjugation verbs change their stem slightly in the «я» form:
- робити → роблю (not «робю»)
- ходити → ходжу (not «ходю»)
- любити → люблю (not «любю»)
This is called consonant mutation — certain letters change before the -ю ending to make pronunciation smoother. Here are the most common patterns you'll see:
| Change | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| б → бл | (labial) | любити → люблю, робити → роблю |
| д → ж | (dental) | ходити → ходжу, сидіти → сиджу |
| з → ж | (sibilant) | возити → вожу |
| с → ш | (sibilant) | просити → прошу |
| т → ч | (dental) | хотіти → хочу, платити → плачу |
You'll pick up these patterns naturally as you practice! Don't worry about memorizing the table; just notice the «extra» letters when you see them.
Some verbs end in -ся or -сь. This usually means the action is directed back at the speaker (like «I wash myself»). You'll learn the full pattern in Module 25, but for now, just notice them when they appear!
Don't confuse First Conjugation and Second Conjugation endings! First Conjugation uses -аю/-ають, Second Conjugation uses -ю/-ять. Compare:
- читати (First Conjugation): читаЮ, читаЄш, читаЄ, читаЮТЬ
- говорити (Second Conjugation): говорЮ, говорИШ, говорИТЬ, говорЯТЬ
The vowels are different!
Production
Now it's your turn! Try forming sentences:
Model:
- Я говорю українською. (I speak Ukrainian.)
- Ти робиш вправу. (You do an exercise.)
Your turn (mental practice):
- What do you love? → Я люблю ___.
- What do you see? → Я бачу ___.
- What do you want? → Я хочу ___.
Cultural Insight
The Beauty of Ukrainian Verb Logic
Ukrainian verbs are incredibly precise. Notice how ходити (to walk/go on foot) and їздити (to ride/go by vehicle) are two different verbs? In English, we just say «go,» but Ukrainian forces you to think: How are you traveling?
This precision extends to posture verbs too:
- сидіти (to sit) — you're seated
- стояти (to stand) — you're standing
- лежати (to lie) — you're lying down
Ukrainians use these constantly:
- Де ти? — Я сиджу в кафе. (Where are you? — I'm sitting in a café.)
When Ukrainians greet each other on the phone, they often say: — Привіт! Як справи? — Добре, дякую!
Notice дякую (thank) — from the verb дякувати (to thank). You've just learned how to express gratitude properly!
Why do some verbs change their consonant? Notice: робити → роблю (not робю), ходити → ходжу (not ходю). This is called consonant mutation — the final consonant of the stem changes before -ю to make pronunciation smoother. Ukrainian inherited this elegant feature from Proto-Slavic!
📋 Підсумок
You've now mastered Second Conjugation verbs (-ити)! Here's what you can do:
- Conjugate regular Second Conjugation verbs (говорити, робити, бачити, любити)
- Use irregular verbs (їсти, пити, хотіти)
- Distinguish between First Conjugation (-ати) and Second Conjugation (-ити) patterns
- Form sentences about daily actions
Key Pattern:
- Second Conjugation: Drop -ити → add -ю/-иш/-ить/-имо/-ите/-ять
With First and Second Conjugation verbs combined, you can now express hundreds of actions in Ukrainian. Вітаю! (Congratulations!)
Need More Practice?
External Review
🎯 Activities
Second Conjugation or First Conjugation?
To which class does говорити belong?
To which class does читати belong?
To which class does любити belong?
To which class does працювати belong?
To which class does бачити belong?
To which class does знати belong?
To which class does ходити belong?
To which class does писати belong?
To which class does робити belong?
To which class does дякувати belong?
To which class does спати belong?
To which class does вчити belong?
Verbs and Actions
Conjugate the Verb
Build the Verb
Grammar Rules
Second Conjugation verbs end in -ити or -іти in the infinitive.
The verb «читати» is Second Conjugation.
Irregular verbs like їсти and пити don't follow standard conjugation patterns.
In Second Conjugation, the first person singular ending is -ю or -у.
The verb «говорити» conjugates as «я говорую.»
«Дякувати» is a First Conjugation verb.
All verbs ending in -ати are First Conjugation.
The third person plural ending for Second Conjugation is -ять or -ать.
«Я хочу» is an irregular form.
Second Conjugation verbs don't have consonant mutations.
«П'ю» is the first person singular of «пити.»
Ukrainian distinguishes between ходити and їздити.
Verb Types
First Conjugation (-ати)
Second Conjugation (-ити)
Irregular
Complete the Dialogue
Choose the Right Verb
Я впевнено ___ українською мовою.
Скажіть, чи ти часто ___ музику?
Ми зазвичай ___ вдома ввечері.
Вона зараз швидко ___ листа.
Ви добре ___ це слово?
Я дуже ___ свою роботу.
Чи ти часто ___ в університет?
Він зараз не ___ спати.
Чи ти зараз ___ вправу вдома?
Що вона зараз робить? Вона ___ біля вікна.
Що ці люди роблять? Вони ___ обід.
Що вони роблять? Вони ___.
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | IPA | English | POS | Gender | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ити | /ɪtɪ/ | to go (truncated) | noun | ||
| катя | /katˈja/ | Katya (name) | noun | ж | |
| люба | /ljubˈa/ | Lyuba (name) | noun | ||
| любя | /ljubja/ | loving | noun | с | |
| іти | /itˈɪ/ | to go, to walk | verb |