Ukrainian grammar and vocabulary guides

Ukrainian: common questions

1. 1How is Ukrainian different from Russian?They are separate East Slavic languages, not dialects of one another. Ukrainian has seven cases where Russian has six, different vowel patterns, and a large body of distinct vocabulary. Speakers of one do not automatically understand the other, though shared roots make learning the second easier.
2. 2How many cases does Ukrainian have?Ukrainian has seven cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, and vocative. Each changes the ending of nouns, adjectives, and pronouns to show the word's role, which is why word order is far more flexible than in English. The vocative is the one Russian has largely lost, and Ukrainian still uses it actively when addressing someone by name.
3. 3Does Ukrainian use the same alphabet as Russian?Both use Cyrillic, but the alphabets are not identical. Ukrainian has four letters Russian lacks, and several shared letters are pronounced differently: the letter that reads as g in Russian is pronounced as a soft h in Ukrainian. Reading Russian Cyrillic therefore does not mean you can pronounce Ukrainian correctly without adjustment.