Short and Useful Ukrainian Questions You Should Learn for Your Trip to Ukraine

Whether you know some basic Ukrainian or you just want to learn some helpful phrases for your trip to Ukraine, check out these short and useful Ukrainian questions that will help you to use the transportation, dine out and discover Ukraine! Listen and repeat, and don’t forget to download a cheat sheet on your mobile device or print it (down below).

❗️ I have specifically chosen only short and absolutely necessary useful Ukrainian questions for two reasons:

1. Not to overwhelm you with too much to memorize;
2. So you do not get lost when people would be answering more complex sentences with complex answers 🙂

Most of these questions can be answered with one or two words or even just in body language!

1.

Де? /de/

Where? + add anything you are looking for:

• Парк – a park
• Вулиця – a street
• Банкомат – ATM

+ Here are two more short useful words for you:

• Тут – here
• Там –  there

To learn more question words in Ukrainian and master your intonation, check out the Ukrainian Lessons Podcast episode #35: Question words in Ukrainian + Intonation in Ukrainian

2. 

 Де туалет? /de tualet/

Where is the restroom/bathroom/toilet? This question with “де” deserves special attention, as it is essential for any human being. Ask it in the restaurant, at the station, or at your host’s house. However, remember that the public туалети on the streets are quite rare.

3. 

 Скільки? /skil’ky/

How much? How many? You can memorize just this word to ask about the price of anything anywhere: at the market, on the bus, or at a bar.

To understand what number you will hear as the answer, make sure you know числа – numbers in Ukrainian!

4. 

 Скільки це коштує? /skil’ky tse koshtuje/

How much does it cost? This is the full version of Скільки? It can be useful when you want to buy something at the shop, but you don’t know the name of it in Ukrainian. So, just point and ask: Скільки це коштує? Or simply: Скільки це?

Learn how to use your Ukrainian at the food market in Ukraine by listening to the authentic dialogue between me and a lady at the market in Ukrainian Lessons Podcast #9: How much does it cost? 

5. 

 Можна…? /mozhna/

Can I? May I? Can I have? In my opinion, this is one of the most useful words in the Ukrainian language. You can call a waiter just with this word. You can add any noun to ask if you can have something (see the example below).

6. 

 Можна це, будь ласка? /mozhna tse, bud’laska/

Can I have (or buy) this? Again, “це” is “this”, so just point at what you want to buy or order in the restaurant.

7. 

 Можна пиво, будь ласка? /mozhna pyvo bud’ laska/

Can I have a beer, please? Learn the name of your favorite drink in Ukrainian beforehand and put it in this question:

• Можна капучино, будь ласка? Can I have a cappuccino, please?
• Можна зелений чай, будь ласка? Can I have green tea, please?
• Можна червоне вино, будь ласка? Can I have some red wine, please?
• Можна лимонад, будь ласка? Can I have a lemonade, please?

Everyone gets thirsty! Check out our colorful infographic with the names of the drinks in Ukrainian here.

8. 

 Можна заплатити карткою? /mozhna zaplatyty kartkoju/

Can I pay by card? Usually, in the cities in Ukraine, you can pay by card everywhere (except at the markets). However, in smaller towns and villages, I still make sure I can заплатити карткою before I want to buy something when I have no cash with me.

9. 

 Можна рахунок, будь ласка?  /mozhna rahunok, bud’ laska/

Can I have the bill, please? That one is super useful. You can also say shortly: Рахунок, будь ласка.

10. 

 На …? /na/

(Does this bus/train/tram go) to…? Even if there are signs on the bus/train/tram etc., you might still want to make sure where it is going to! Don’t be shy and ask the driver or other passengers:

• На Хрещатик? – (Does this subway train go) to Khreshchatyk?
• На Поділ? – (Does this tram go) to Podil?
• На Рівне? – (Does this train go) to Rivne?
• На Київ? – (Is this plane) to Kyiv?

The transportation methods in this explanation are just an example 🙂 Normally you ask the question when you are near a bus/subway etc. or on it’s station. This way the person you’re asking will understand you without specification of the means of transport!

However, it is still nice to learn some names of transportation in Ukrainian in case you get asked to specify what you’re talking about exactly. Take a look at our infographic here!

11. 

 Ви виходите? /vy vyhodyte/

Are you getting off? This one will be your lifesaver if you plan to take the subway in Kyiv during rush hour. The trains can get quite full, especially between the central stops, so you might happen to be in the middle, surrounded by people when you need to get off.

It is absolutely normal to tap on the shoulder of the person in your way before the train stops and say these two words: Ви виходите?  The person will either say “Так” or let you stand in front of them.

12. 

 Яка це станція? /jaka tse stantsija/

What station is this? If you are on the train and you are not sure where you are, ask this question.

13. 

 Яка це зупинка? /jaka tse zupynka/

What stop is this? The same as above, but for the bus/tram stops.

14. 

 Як вас звати? /jak vas zvaty/

What is your name? This is a formal way to ask a person about his/her name and maybe make a Ukrainian friend!

After learning the basic questions, you might also want to check out our 14 Basic Ukrainian Phrases for Your Trip to Ukraine.

15. 

 Що це? /shcho tse/

What is this? Ask this question as much as you can to learn many new things about Ukraine!

16. 

 Що таке “компот”?  /shcho take/

What is “kompot”? What does “kompot” mean?

Take advantage of your trip to Ukraine to learn some new words that you see or hear around! Start with “Що таке…” and add a Ukrainian word the meaning of which you want to know.

17. 

 Як сказати “ATM” українською?  /jak skazaty … ukrajins’koju/

How to say “ATM” in Ukrainian? Again, be curious and talk to people instead of asking Google Translate (which will not always give you the correct answer).

You can also ask: “Як буде…?”

18. 

 Це українська чи російська? /tse ukrajins’ka chy rosijs’ka/ 

Is this Ukrainian or Russian?

Although Ukrainian is the official language in Ukraine, many people speak Russian here, especially in the big cities in the East and South of Ukraine and in Kyiv. So, sometimes you should ask if the words you hear or see are in Ukrainian or in Russian.

19. 

 Ви говорите англійською? /vy hovoryte anhlijs’koyu/

Do you speak English?

• Так = yes > you can relax and enjoy the conversation.
• Ні = no > you can now try and use some of the questions above! 🙂

Download this cheat sheet to your phone. It can be helpful while traveling to Ukraine! 

***

I hope these short and useful Ukrainian questions will help you to have a memorable and bright experience in Ukraine.

Ласкаво просимо! – Welcome!

Learning Ukrainian and looking for great resources? Check out our list of the 1000 most common words in Ukrainian with interactive flashcards. You can also learn Ukrainian step by step wherever you are with our free Ukrainian Lessons Podcast.