Introduction
While word types like verbs, nouns, and adjectives are important building blocks for any language, they often need some help to form a full sentence. This page will list these smaller words, primarily conjunctions, with some further explanations.
yes / no
Yes = так
No = ні
In addition to "no", the word for "not" is не. Here are some example sentences:
-Це мама? -Так, це мама.
-Це мама? -Ні, це не мама.
"and"
Ukrainian has 3 words for the word "and": і, та, and й. There is no difference in meaning between these three words; all mean "and" in the same way. The difference between them is in how they sound with the words before and after. English does the same thing: "a" comes before a consonant (a book), whereas "an" comes before a vowel (an apple). By far, "і" is the most commonly used "and" word, followed by "та", while "й" is rather uncommon. While some native speakers may choose these among words differently depending on ther specific dialect, here is a general breakdown for when to use which "and" word:
і: use when the preceding word ends with a consonant and the next word begins with a consonant. кіт і собака
та: use when the preceding word ends with a vowel and the next word begins with a consonant. мама та тато
й: use when the preceding word ends with a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel. авто й автобус
contrasting
There are a few basic ways for contrasting in Ukrainian that may look a little different than English, but are still understandable. Here are the common ways for contrasting:
але: closest to "but". It can be used at both the beginning and middle of a sentence. Він допоможе, але не сьогодні. (He will help, but not today.)
проте: closest to "however". It's used at the beginning of a sentence or at the beginning of the 2nd clause of a long sentence. Я подзвонив їй і пояснив ситуацію. Проте вона відмовилася допомогти. (I called her and explained the situation. However, she refused to help.) It may be useful to note that однак is a synonym, though now rather old-fashioned.
зате: "but then" or "however". It's used in the middle of the sentence. Це нудно, зате корисно для здоров'я. (It's boring but then it is good for your health.)
а: opposition or contrast, close to "whereas". Ярина живе у Києві, а Катерина живе у Львові. (Yaryna lives in Kyiv, whereas Kateryna lives in Lviv.)
here / there
Тут: here. Банк тут. (The bank is here.)
Там: there. Офіс там. (The office is there.)