How to Form Yes/No and Information Questions in Ukrainian

Understanding Yes/No Questions in Ukrainian

Yes/no questions in Ukrainian are used to confirm or deny information. They typically require a simple "yes" or "no" answer. Unlike English, Ukrainian often forms yes/no questions by intonation alone, without changing word order or adding auxiliary verbs.

Forming Yes/No Questions

To form a yes/no question, you can simply raise your intonation at the end of a statement. For example, the statement "Ви говорите українською" means "You speak Ukrainian." To make it a question, say "Ви говорите українською?" with a rising intonation.

Alternatively, you can add question words like "чи" at the beginning to emphasize the question, e.g., "Чи ви говорите українською?"

Examples of Yes/No Questions

• Ви студент? (Are you a student?)
• Вона вдома? (Is she at home?)
• Чи ти розумієш? (Do you understand?)
• Вони працюють? (Are they working?)

Forming Information Questions in Ukrainian

Information questions ask for specific details and usually begin with question words such as "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," and "how." In Ukrainian, these question words are placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Common Ukrainian Question Words

• Хто – Who
• Що – What
• Де – Where
• Коли – When
• Чому – Why
• Як – How

Forming the Question Structure

After the question word, the sentence usually follows the normal subject-verb-object order. For example, "Де ти живеш?" means "Where do you live?" Here, "Де" is the question word, followed by the subject "ти" and the verb "живеш".

Examples of Information Questions

• Хто це? (Who is this?)
• Що ти робиш? (What are you doing?)
• Де він працює? (Where does he work?)
• Коли починається урок? (When does the lesson start?)
• Чому ти сумний? (Why are you sad?)
• Як ти почуваєшся? (How do you feel?)

Tips for Asking Questions in Ukrainian

• Pay attention to intonation for yes/no questions.
• Use question words at the beginning for information questions.
• Practice common question phrases to build confidence.
• Remember that Ukrainian word order is flexible but usually follows subject-verb-object.
• Listen to native speakers to get a feel for natural question intonation.