Checkpoint: First Contact
Overview
Congratulations! You have reached your first Checkpoint in the Ukrainian language journey. Over the last nine modules, you have built a solid foundation, moving from the mysterious symbols of the Cyrillic alphabet to ordering food in a cafe and describing your daily life. This module is designed to help you consolidate everything you've learned and verify that you are ready to move on to the next phase: The Cases.
In this Checkpoint, we will review:
- The Cyrillic Code: Mastering the sounds and letters.
- Gender and Agreement: Identifying masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns.
- The Living Verb: Conjugating in the Present Tense (First and Second groups).
- Questions and Negation: Building real conversations.
- Practical Survival: Navigating greetings and food.
Take your time with the exercises. If you find a particular skill difficult, don't hesitate to go back and review the corresponding module. Mastery at this stage will make everything that follows much easier! Let's get started.
Skill 1: Reading Cyrillic
Can you read Ukrainian text without transliteration?
Model: Read This Sign
КАФЕ «КИЇВ» Меню: борщ, вареники, кава, чай Години роботи: 9:00 - 21:00
Notice:
- КАФЕ = cafe (Ф sounds like /f/, not /p/)
- КИЇВ = Kyiv (И = /ɪ/, Ї = /ji/)
- вареники = varenyky (remember: В = /v/, not /b/)
Practice: Read and Match
Read each word, then match it to the English meaning in your head:
| Ukrainian | Think... |
|---|---|
| хліб | bread (Х = kh, not X) |
| молоко | milk (looks similar!) |
| дякую | thank you (Д = D) |
| будь ласка | please |
| добрий день | good day |
Self-Check
- Can you read щ (shch) without hesitation?
- Do you remember that Г = breathy H, not hard G?
- Can you spot False Friends (В, Н, Р, С)?
Skill 2: Identifying Gender
Can you determine noun gender by looking at the ending?
Model: The Gender Pattern
Книга ends in -а → feminine → ця книга (this book) Стіл ends in consonant → masculine → цей стіл (this table) Вікно ends in -о → neuter → це вікно (this window)
The Pattern:
- -а, -я → feminine (книга, земля, кава)
- consonant → masculine (стіл, хліб, чай)
- -о, -е → neuter (вікно, море, місто)
Practice: Quick Gender Sort
Look at each word. What gender is it?
- борщ → ends in consonant → _
- вода → ends in -а → _
- місто → ends in -о → _
- їжа → ends in -а → _
- молоко → ends in -о → _
Перевірити (Check)
- masculine
- feminine
- neuter
- feminine
- neuter
Self-Check
- Do you check the ending first?
- Can you match demonstratives? (цей/ця/це)
- Does «ця стіл» sound wrong to you? (It should!)
Skill 3: Conjugating Verbs
Can you conjugate First Conjugation and Second Conjugation verbs in present tense?
Model: Two Verb Classes
First Conjugation (читати - to read):
Я читаю книгу. Ти читаєш газету. Він читає журнал. (I read a book. You read a newspaper. He reads a magazine.)
Second Conjugation (говорити - to speak):
Я говорю українською. Ти говориш швидко. Вона говорить добре. (I speak Ukrainian. You speak fast. She speaks well.)
Notice the pattern:
- First Conjugation: я -ю, ти -єш, він -є
- Second Conjugation: я -ю, ти -иш, він -ить
Practice: Fill the Gaps
Complete with the correct verb form:
- Я _ (читати) книгу. → Я _
- Вона _ (говорити) українською. → Вона _
- Ми _ (писати) листа. → Ми _
- Вони _ (робити) домашнє завдання. → Вони _
Перевірити (Check)
- читаю (First Conjugation, я → -ю)
- говорить (Second Conjugation, вона → -ить)
- пишемо (First Conjugation, ми → -емо)
- роблять (Second Conjugation, вони → -ять)
Self-Check
- Do you know which class a verb belongs to? (-ати vs -ити)
- Can you conjugate for all persons? (я, ти, він/вона, ми, ви, вони)
- Do irregular verbs like їсти and пити trip you up?
Don't drop the pronoun! Unlike Spanish or Italian, Ukrainian usually keeps the pronoun (Я, Ти) unless the context is super clear. "Читаю" is okay, but "Я читаю" is safer for beginners!
🎬 Pop Culture Moment
In video games, you see verbs constantly: Грай! (Play!), Читай! (Read!), Говори! (Speak!). After Module 10, you recognize these commands!
Skill 4: Asking Questions
Can you form questions using question words?
Model: Question Words in Action
Що це? — Це книга. (What is this? — This is a book.) Хто він? — Він студент. (Who is he? — He's a student.) Де ти живеш? — Я живу в Києві. (Where do you live? — I live in Kyiv.) Як справи? — Добре, дякую! (How are things? — Good, thanks!)
The Question Words:
- Що /ʃt͡ʃɔ/ = what
- Хто /xtɔ/ = who
- Де /dɛ/ = where
- Як /jɑk/ = how
- Коли /kɔˈlɪ/ = when
- Чому /t͡ʃɔˈmu/ = why
Practice: Match Question to Answer
Which question word fits?
- _ ти? — Я студент. (asking identity)
- _ це? — Це кава. (asking what)
- _ ти живеш? — У Львові. (asking location)
- _ справи? — Добре! (asking how)
Перевірити (Check)
- Хто (who)
- Що (what)
- Де (where)
- Як (how)
Self-Check
- Do you remember Чи for yes/no questions? (Чи ти студент?)
- Can you use не to negate? (Я не читаю.)
- Do you know куди (where to) vs де (where)?
Skill 5: Ordering Food
Can you navigate a Ukrainian кафе?
Model: Café Dialogue
— Добрий день! Що ви бажаєте? — Каву, будь ласка. — Американо чи латте? — Американо. — Ще щось? — Так, вареники. — Смачного!
(Good day! What would you like? / Coffee, please. / Americano or latte? / Americano. / Anything else? / Yes, varenyky. / Enjoy your meal!)
Key Phrases:
- Що ви бажаєте? = What would you like?
- будь ласка = please
- Ще щось? = Anything else?
- Смачного! = Bon appétit!
Practice: Complete the Order
Fill in the customer's responses:
— Добрий день! Що ви бажаєте?
— _, будь ласка. (order tea)
— Чорний чи зелений?
— _ (black)
— Ще щось?
— Ні, _ (thank you)
Перевірити (Check)
— Чай, будь ласка.
— Чорний.
— Ні, дякую.
Self-Check
- Can you say Смачного! when someone starts eating?
- Do you know basic food words? (борщ, хліб, вода, молоко)
- Can you politely decline? (Ні, дякую.)
🌍 Real World Tip
In Ukraine, the waiter might ask «Чай чи кава?» (Tea or coffee?). After this checkpoint, you'll understand and answer confidently!
Integration Challenge
Read this text, then answer the questions.
Привіт! Я Марко. Я студент. Я живу в Києві. Це моя кімната. Тут є стіл, книга і кава. Я читаю книгу українською. Я люблю українську каву! А ти? Що ти любиш?
Questions:
- What gender is книга? How do you know?
- What verb form is читаю? What person?
- What question does Марко ask at the end?
- If you want to ask «Where does Марко live?», what question word do you use?
Перевірити (Check)
- Feminine — ends in -а
- читаю = «I read» — 1st person singular of читати (First Conjugation)
- «Що ти любиш?» (What do you like?)
- Де (Де живе Марко?)
📋 Підсумок
| Skill | Key Pattern | Quick Test |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Cyrillic | Recognize all 33 letters | Can you read «борщ» without help? |
| Gender ID | -а/-я = f, consonant = m, -о/-е = n | What gender is «вікно»? |
| Verb Conjugation | First Conjugation: -ю, -єш, -є / Second Conjugation: -ю, -иш, -ить | «Вона читає» or «читаєть»? |
| Questions | що/хто/де/як + word order | How do you ask «Where are you?» |
| Food Ordering | будь ласка, дякую, Смачного! | Can you order кава at a кафе? |
Ready for A1.2? If you can do all five skills, you're ready for Modules 11-20: the accusative case, possessives, and navigating cities!
Need More Practice?
Missing a skill?
- Cyrillic Reading → Modules 01-02
- Verb Conjugation → Modules 05-06
- Ordering Food → Module 09
🎯 Activities
Cyrillic Reading
What is the English translation of «хліб»?
How do you translate «вареники» to English?
What does the word «дякую» mean?
What is the meaning of «добрий день»?
How do you translate «вікно» to English?
What is the English translation of «молоко»?
What does the word «книга» mean?
What is the meaning of « будь ласка»?
How do you translate «кава» to English?
What is the English translation of «місто»?
What does the word «студент» mean?
How do you translate «українська» to English?
Gender Recognition
Demonstrative Agreement
Verb Conjugation First Conjugation
Verb Conjugation Second Conjugation
Verb Classes
First Conjugation (-ати)
Second Conjugation (-ити)
Irregular
Question Words
___ це? (What is this?)
___ він? (Who is he?)
___ ти живеш? (Where do you live?)
___ справи? (How are things?)
___ ти вдома? (When are you home?)
___ ти тут? (Why are you here?)
___ це коштує? (How much does this cost?)
___ ти йдеш? (Where are you going?)
___ ти робиш? (What are you doing?)
___ ти вивчаєш українську? (Why do you study Ukrainian?)
___ ти? (Who are you?)
___ ти говориш українською? (How do you speak Ukrainian?)
Grammar Rules
Ukrainian has 33 letters in its alphabet.
The letter «Г» sounds like hard "g" in "go".
Feminine nouns typically end in -а or -я.
Ukrainian uses "to be" (є) in all present tense sentences.
«Це» can mean both "this" (neuter) and "this is".
First Conjugation verbs end in -ати or -яти.
Second Conjugation verbs use -ють in the 3rd person plural.
Questions can be formed by adding «чи» at the beginning.
Negation in Ukrainian uses «ні» before the verb.
«Борщ» is a traditional Ukrainian soup.
«Смачного!» means "Bon appétit!" in Ukrainian.
All Ukrainian verbs are regular.
Food and Drinks
Cyrillic Practice
Negation Practice
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | IPA | English | POS | Gender | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| американо | /amɛrɪkanɔ/ | Americano (coffee) | noun | с | |
| бажати | /baʒˈatɪ/ | to desire, to wish | verb | ||
| вареник | /ʋarˈɛnɪk/ | varenyk (dumpling) | noun | ||
| зелений | /zɛlˈɛnɪj/ | green | noun | ч | |
| латте | /lattɛ/ | latte | noun | с | |
| смачне | /smat͡ʃnˈɛ/ | tasty (neuter) | noun | с | |
| чорний | /t͡ʃˈɔrnɪj/ | black | noun | ч |