How to Use Present and Past Participles in Ukrainian for English Speakers

Understanding Participles in Ukrainian

Participles in Ukrainian are verbal adjectives that describe a noun by expressing an action related to it. They come in two main forms: present participles and past participles. These forms are essential for forming complex sentences and adding descriptive detail in Ukrainian.

Present Participles in Ukrainian

The present participle in Ukrainian describes an ongoing action related to the noun. It is formed from the imperfective aspect of the verb and agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies.

Formation of Present Participles

To form the present participle, take the third person plural form of the verb in the present tense, remove the ending -ть, and add the suffix -чий (masculine), -ча (feminine), or -че (neuter). For plural, use -чі. For example:

• Говорять (they speak) → говорячий (speaking, masculine)
• Пишуть (they write) → пишучий (writing, masculine)

Usage of Present Participles

Present participles are used to describe a noun performing an action currently in progress. For example, говорячий чоловік means "the man who is speaking." They are less common in everyday speech but appear in literary and formal contexts.

Past Participles in Ukrainian

Past participles describe a completed action related to the noun. They are formed from the perfective aspect of the verb and also agree in gender, number, and case with the noun.

Formation of Past Participles

To form the past participle, take the masculine past tense form of the verb, remove the ending -в or -ла, and add the suffix -ний (masculine), -на (feminine), or -не (neuter). For plural, use -ні. For example:

• Написав (he wrote) → написаний (written, masculine)
• Зробила (she did) → зроблена (done, feminine)

Usage of Past Participles

Past participles are commonly used in Ukrainian to form passive constructions and to describe nouns that have undergone an action. For example, написаний лист means "the written letter." They are widely used in both spoken and written Ukrainian.

Examples of Present and Past Participles in Sentences

• Present participle: Читаючий студент уважний. (The student who is reading is attentive.)
• Past participle: Прочитана книга цікава. (The read book is interesting.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Confusing present participles with gerunds or verbal nouns.
• Using past participles with imperfective verbs, which is incorrect.
• Not matching the participle's gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies.

Summary

Understanding and using present and past participles in Ukrainian helps English speakers add nuance and detail to their sentences. Remember that present participles describe ongoing actions, while past participles describe completed actions related to the noun. Practice forming and using them with different verbs to become more comfortable.