Articles & guides
Honest, practical guides to learning Ukrainian: where to start, what really separates it from Russian, and the words that make the language worth the effort. Written by me, from 3,500+ lessons of experience.
Whether you want to learn Ukrainian for your family, your partner, a move or simply because you care about the country, this is the route I recommend after more than 3,500 lessons with learners from over 30 countries.
Ukrainian and Russian share an alphabet and a long, complicated history, but they are separate languages. Here are the Ukrainian vs Russian differences that really matter — letters, sounds, everyday words, grammar and false friends — whether you're starting Ukrainian from scratch or switching from Russian.
Some Ukrainian words have no neat English equivalent — you can explain them, but not translate them with a single word. Here are twelve of my favourites, with pronunciation, meaning and a sentence you could actually say.
Textbook Ukrainian is tidy. Real Ukrainian is full of little words that mean almost nothing and do a lot of work: they buy time, soften a request, grab attention or wrap up a story. Here are the ones native speakers actually use, what each one does, and which ones to leave alone.
At a Ukrainian table, the toast matters more than what's in the glass. Here's how to say cheers in Ukrainian, how to raise a proper toast at a family dinner, and the one phrase English speakers almost always get wrong. (As I said on TikTok: drink juice, not alcohol — the toasts work just as well.)
A compliment in someone's own language lands differently — even more so in Ukrainian, where the words change shape depending on who you're talking to. Here's how to say something kind and sincere in any situation, how to get through a date from “want to grab a coffee?” to “goodnight”, and which lines to leave in the phrasebook.
You can follow a Ukrainian conversation perfectly and still give yourself away with one word: the reaction. A flat so? where a native would say Ого!, a textbook це цікаво where they'd gasp Нічого собі! Here's how Ukrainians react to surprises, good news, bad news and nonsense — and how the same word can mean three different things depending on your voice.
Textbooks teach you to say “Good afternoon, how are you?”. Real friends say “No biggie”, “Chill out” and “Yeah, right”. Here are the casual Ukrainian phrases I hear every day, with a label on each one so you know exactly where it's safe to use it.
Ukrainians take congratulations seriously: a birthday message isn't “HBD!” but a small speech full of wishes. Here's how to say happy birthday in Ukrainian, greet people on every big holiday, and build heartfelt wishes of your own with one simple grammar pattern.
In my TikTok about Ukrainian meals I asked you to guess which dish I hate. I'm not telling here either. But I will walk you through a whole day of Ukrainian eating — the meals, the dishes, and the phrases that will make any Ukrainian host adore you.
In my winter TikTok I said Привіт from a snowy forest. So pour yourself some tea: here are the Ukrainian winter words I love most, from the weather outside to the carols that turn a cold evening into a celebration.
Reading gets you started; speaking gets you there. In one-to-one lessons we turn what you've read into real conversation, with a plan that fits you.