я
ja[ja]
The English phrase "I" is translated into Ukrainian as я (ja).
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
In Ukrainian, я is used in the nominative case to serve as the subject of a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ja.
Did you know?
- Because Ukrainian uses a rich system of verb endings to indicate who is performing an action, a speaker can often omit я entirely without losing the meaning of the sentence.
- The Ukrainian я is a direct descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *éǵh₂, making it a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'I' and the Latin 'ego'.
- Unlike English, where 'I' is always capitalized, the Ukrainian я is treated like any other common word and is only capitalized if it starts a sentence.
Examples in context
- А ось і я.Here I come.This sentence is useful for expressing one's arrival or presence using я.Tatoeba #5799290 by deniko, translation #1112325 by Scott
- Я ще не їв.I haven't eaten yet.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal state or action using я.Tatoeba #509913 by aandrusiak, translation #476414 by minshirui
- Я п'ю і чай.I drink tea, too.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference or action using я.Tatoeba #5845736 by deniko, translation #3378130 by CK
- Я думаюI think
- Я вважаюI believe
- Я розуміюI understand
- Мені здаєтьсяIt seems to me
- Удачі!Good luck!
- 15722 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Serhii and Olena are deciding who will go to the store.
- Сергій SerhiiЯ можу сходити в магазин.Ya mozhu skhodyty v mahazyn.I can go to the store.
- Олена OlenaЦе було б чудово, Сергію.Tse bulo b chudovo, Serhiyu.That would be wonderful, Serhii.
- Сергій SerhiiТоді я йду зараз.Todi ya ydu zaraz.Then I am going now.
- Олена OlenaДякую, Олена цінує твою допомогу.Diakuyu, Olena tsinuye tvoyu dopomohu.Thank you, Olena appreciates your help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries я, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries я, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
