Verbs of motion in Ukrainian can be very confusing. Іти, ходити чи їхати? At Ukrainian Lessons, we want to make learning Ukrainian process easy and fun. That is why we have prepared these comprehensive simple pictures that will help you to understand the verbs of motion in Ukrainian.
You can also check the Ukrainian lessons Podcast episode #59 where I put the verbs of motion in Ukrainian in context and offer you some practice!
Why the verbs of motion in Ukrainian are special
Ukrainian verbs generally are represented in a couple of aspects – imperfective (continuous action) and perfective (the finished action). For example:
- Я йшла додому і побачила собаку (іти – imperfective) / I was walking home and I saw a dog.
- Я прийшла додому о півночі (прийти – perfective) / I came home at midnight.
However, the verbs of motion in Ukrainian (like to go, to fly, to swim) have even more kinds – the unidirectional and the multidirectional. These verbs indicate whether the movement is made in one direction, or whether there is a return trip.
The difference between “іти” і “їхати” in Ukrainian
There are two Ukrainian basic equivalents of the English verb “to go”:
- іти
- їхати
Have a look at the picture to catch the difference between “іти” і “їхати”:
So, we use іти to talk about the motion we’ve done without using any transportation, whereas їхати is used for any action done by the transportation (in many cases we don’t specify the means of transport).
Examples of the verbs of motion in Ukrainian
Let’s see and compare with pictures!
As you can see, the unidirectional verbs (іти, їхати) are used with the following time expressions:
- Туди – there (to there)
- Сьогодні – today
- Зараз – now
Whereas the multidirectional verbs (ходити, їздити) are used with the expressions of regularity:
- Туди і назад – back-and-forth
- Кожного дня – every day
- Регулярно – regularly
Here are some more examples of the verbs of motion in Ukrainian with pictures:
More common verbs of motion in Ukrainian with examples
| Туди́ і наза́д Ко́жного дня Регуля́рно |
Туди́ Сього́дні За́раз |
|
| ї́здити Зазвича́й я ї́жджу на да́чу влі́тку. |
ї́хати Але́ цьо́го ро́ку ми ї́демо в Євро́пу. |
to go by transportation |
| ходи́ти Я регуля́рно ходжу́ в спортза́л. |
іти́ Сього́дні я не іду́ в спортза́л, я хворий. |
to go by walking |
| бі́гати Я хо́чу часті́ше бі́гати в па́рку. |
бі́гти За́втра я бу́ду бі́гти марафо́н. |
to run |
| літа́ти Макси́м ча́сто літа́є в Нью-Йорк. |
леті́ти За́втра він лети́ть у Нью-Йорк. |
to fly |
| пла́вати Ти вмі́єш пла́вати? |
пливти́ Попливе́ш зі мно́ю на той бе́рег рі́чки? |
to swim, to sail |
| стриба́ти Ді́ти лю́блять стриба́ти і танцюва́ти. |
стрибну́ти Вчо́ра вона́ стрибну́ла з парашу́том. |
to jump |
How did you find it? Make sure to practice the verbs of motion in Ukrainian when you speak or write, that is the only way to become fluent in using them.
Try it right know – write a couple of sentences using those verbs. I will check your comment and let you know if you got it right 🙂
Also, you can check the Ukrainian lessons Podcast episode #59 where I put the verbs of motion in Ukrainian in context and offer you some practice!
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Anna Ohoiko
Привіт! Мене звати Анна. I am a Ukrainian linguist, teacher, and the Ukrainian Lessons founder. My biggest hobby is to learn foreign languages and my passion to teach the most beautiful one. I also enjoy traveling, cooking and being with my friends and family.
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