Casual Ukrainian phrases: no biggie, chill out, you wish

Why textbook Ukrainian sounds stiff with friends

My students often tell me the same thing: they can order a coffee and talk about the weather, but when a Ukrainian friend spills something, apologises or starts panicking about an exam, they have nothing to say except a very formal Добре (dóbre, “fine”). What's missing isn't grammar. It's the small, casual reactions that keep a conversation warm.

Casual doesn't mean careless, though. Every phrase below has a register label:

• Neutral — fine with anyone, including people you call ви (vy, the polite “you”).
• Casual — friends, family, colleagues you're on ти (ty) with.
• Slang — young, very informal speech. Use it with friends, not with your landlord.
• Ironic — the words are harmless, but the tone does the work. A smile helps.

How to say “no biggie” in Ukrainian

Та нічого страшного (ta nichóho strashnóho) — no biggie · neutral

Literally “nothing terrible”. This is the answer when someone apologises for something small. The little word та (ta) at the start softens it, a bit like “oh” or “ah” in English. Without та it's just as correct, only a touch more matter-of-fact.

Дрібниці (dribnýtsi) — it's nothing · casual

Дрібниці means “trifles, small stuff”. You'll hear it as a reply to an apology and, even more often, as a modest reply to thanks: “Oh, it was nothing.”

Без проблем (bez problém) and Усе гаразд (usé harázd) — no problem, it's all fine · neutral

Both work with anyone. Гаразд on its own also means “OK, agreed”, so Усе гаразд is literally “all is OK” — a calm, reassuring thing to say.

How to say “chill out” in Ukrainian

Розслабся (rozslábsia) — relax · casual

From розслабитися, to relax. Friendly and light, especially when someone is overthinking.

Не переймайся (ne pereimáisia) — don't worry about it · casual

My personal favourite. Перейматися means to fret, to take something to heart, so this is a gentle “don't stress”. It sounds caring rather than dismissive.

Спокійно (spokíino) — easy, calm down · neutral

One word, said slowly, with a calming hand gesture. It's what you say when someone is flapping at the airport.

Не парся (ne pársia) — don't sweat it · slang

Паритися is literally to steam yourself, as in a sauna. In slang, modelled on the Russian не парься, it means to stress over something pointless. Very popular with younger Ukrainians, and it will make you sound delightfully fluent among friends. Not for work emails.

Take it easy: “don't worry about it” in Ukrainian

Не бери в голову (ne berý v hólovu) — don't give it a second thought · casual

Literally “don't take it into your head”. You say it when someone apologises for a sharp word or a small awkwardness, and you want them to know it's forgotten.

Не бери близько до серця (ne berý blýzko do sértsia) — don't take it to heart · neutral

A warmer, slightly more serious version, for when something actually hurt. English has the same image, which makes it easy to remember.

Не зважай (ne zvazhái) — never mind, ignore it · neutral

Useful when someone is bothered by a rude comment, a noise or a silly rumour: Не зважай на них — “Don't pay attention to them.”

Та ну його! (ta nu yohó) — oh, forget it! · casual

Literally “oh, well, him/it”. It waves away a problem, a plan or even a person: Та ну його, той дощ, ходімо гуляти! — “Forget the rain, let's go for a walk!”

How to say “you wish” in Ukrainian

All of these are ironic. Say them with a grin to someone who's asking for the impossible, and they're pure fun. Say them coldly and they sting.

Мрій далі (mrii dáli) — keep dreaming · ironic

Ага, зараз! (ahá, záraz) — yeah, right! · ironic

Literally “yes, right now!”. The more drawn-out the ага, the more sarcastic it gets. This is probably the most natural “you wish” in everyday speech.

Ще чого! (shche chohó) — what else! no way! · ironic

Short for Ще чого захотів!, “What else would you like!”. A playful, slightly old-fashioned refusal.

Розмріявся! / Розмріялася! (rozmríiavsia / rozmríialasia) — someone's getting carried away · ironic

From “I don't mind” to “I couldn't care less”

In my second TikTok on this topic I built a little scale of indifference. Here it is, from polite to “please stop talking to me”:

• Як хочеш (yak khóchesh) — as you like. Neutral and kind; polite form Як хочете.
• Мені все одно (mení vse odnó) or Мені однаково (mení odnákovo) — I don't mind, it's all the same to me. Neutral.
• Мені без різниці (mení bez riznýtsi) — makes no difference to me. Casual.
• Мені байдуже (mení baidúzhe) — I don't care. Casual, and cooler than it looks: the adjective байдужий means indifferent, even cold.
• Мені по цимбалах (mení po tsymbálakh) — I couldn't care less. Colloquial and playful; цимбали are a stringed folk instrument, the dulcimer.

Above по цимбалах there are stronger versions built on rude words. You'll recognise them from the tone and the reaction around the table; I'd leave those to native speakers. You'll also hear пофіг (pófih) all the time in casual speech, but it's slang borrowed from Russian. Байдуже does the same job and is properly Ukrainian.

Ти or ви: making casual phrases polite

Most of these phrases have a polite (and plural) form ending in -те or -іть. Slang ones, like не парся, don't really have one: if you're on ви terms with someone, you probably shouldn't be using slang with them yet.

• Розслабся → Розслабтеся
• Не переймайся → Не переймайтеся
• Не бери в голову → Не беріть у голову
• Не зважай → Не зважайте

Pronunciation tips for English speakers

• The reflexive ending -ся sounds like “sya”: розслабся is roughly “roz-SLAB-sya”.
• Г is a soft, breathy h, never a hard g: голову is “HO-lo-vu”.
• И (romanised y) is between the vowels in “bit” and “bet”. Keep it short and relaxed.
• Stress matters: зараз (right now) is stressed on the first syllable, ага on the last.

A real conversation, start to finish

How to make casual Ukrainian your own

Casual phrases only stick when you actually say them to someone, which is exactly what my Ukrainian speaking club is for. If you want more natural reactions, read my guides to Ukrainian filler words and how to say OMG in Ukrainian. And if you're just starting, grab my free guide to your first 100 Ukrainian words.