Greetings! In this guide, we will explore the fascinating world of Ukrainian numbers. Whether you want to improve your Ukrainian language skills, travel to Ukraine, or simply impress your Ukrainian friends, this guide will equip you with a solid understanding of how to express numbers in Ukrainian. We will cover both the formal and informal ways, and though regional variations exist, we will focus on standard Ukrainian. So, let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Cardinal Numbers
Let’s start with the basics, the cardinal numbers. These are the numbers we use to count, quantify, and indicate order. Here are the numbers from one to ten:
- один (oh-dyn) – one
- два (dva) – two
- три (try) – three
- чотири (choh-ty-ri) – four
- п’ять (pyat’) – five
- шість (shist’) – six
- сім (sim) – seven
- вісім (visim) – eight
- дев’ять (deh-vyat’) – nine
- десять (deh-syat’) – ten
Great job! Now that you know the numbers from one to ten, you can easily continue counting by simply combining these words.
Reading numbers in Ukrainian follows a simple pattern. For example, to read “17”, you combine the word for ten (десять) and the word for seven (сім), resulting in “сімнадцять” (sim-nad-tsyaht’).
Tips for Reading Numbers
Here are some useful tips to help you read numbers smoothly in Ukrainian:
- Hyphenation: Ukrainian numbers are often hyphenated when they consist of two or more words. For example, 25 is read as “двадцять п’ять” (dva-dtsyat’ pyat’). Note the hyphen between “двадцять” and “п’ять”.
- Context: Pay attention to the context when reading numbers, as Ukrainians sometimes use different forms. For example, prices might be read differently than dates or phone numbers.
- Vowel Reduction: When numbers are combined, there might be vowel reduction or elision. For example, “дев’ять тисяч” (deh-vyat’ tysyach) is pronounced as “десять тысяч” (dyesyat’ tysyach), with the reduction of the vowel “е” in “десять”.
- Practice: Practice reading numbers aloud to build confidence and improve pronunciation. It will help you become more comfortable with Ukrainian number patterns and rhythm.
Informal and Formal Ways
In Ukrainian, there are slight differences in how numbers are expressed in informal and formal settings. Let’s take a look at some examples to better understand these differences:
Informal: кілька книжок (kihl’-ka knee-zhok) – several books
Formal: декілька книжок (deh-kihl’-ka knee-zhok) – a few books
As you can see, the word “кілька” is used in informal situations, whereas the word “декілька” is the formal equivalent. Generally, using the formal version is recommended when addressing strangers, older people, or in more professional settings.
Now, let’s move on to larger numbers like hundreds, thousands, and beyond.
Hundreds and Thousands
When it comes to larger numbers, they are formed by combining the words for hundreds, thousands, and so on, with the cardinal numbers.
Here is an example of how to say numbers like 100, 1000, and 100,000:
- сто (sto) – one hundred
- тисяча (tysyacha) – one thousand
- сто тисяч (sto tysyach) – one hundred thousand
Similarly, you can combine any cardinal number with these words to create larger numbers.
Ordinal Numbers
In addition to cardinal numbers, Ukrainian also has ordinal numbers, which indicate order or position. They are somewhat similar to adjectives and can be formed from cardinal numbers by adding specific endings. Here are the ordinal numbers from first to tenth:
- перший (per-shyy) – first
- другий (druh-yy) – second
- третій (tret-iy) – third
- четвертий (chet-ver-tyy) – fourth
- п’ятий (pya-tyy) – fifth
- шостий (shos-tyy) – sixth
- сьомий (syo-myy) – seventh
- восьмий (vos-myy) – eighth
- дев’ятий (deh-vya-tyy) – ninth
- десятий (deh-syat-yy) – tenth
These ordinal numbers can be used to indicate the position of something in a series, write dates, or express fractions.
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing this comprehensive guide on how to say numbers in Ukrainian! You now have a solid foundation in Ukrainian numbers, from the basic cardinal numbers to the more complex ordinal numbers. Remember to practice reading numbers aloud, pay attention to context, and embrace the hyphens and vowel reductions. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to confidently express and understand numbers in Ukrainian in both formal and informal situations.
Дякую (dyakuyu) – Thank you for joining us on this linguistic journey. Enjoy exploring the beauty of Ukrainian numbers!
