будь ласка

Please and You Are Welcome

Level 1Sounds Like budʹ laska

Use 'будь ласка' to make requests polite ('please') or to respond to 'thank you' ('you are welcome').

How It Works

будь ласка is the most essential politeness formula in Ukrainian. It is composed of the imperative verb будь (be) and the noun ласка (kindness/favor).

Key Functions:

  • Requests: It softens the imperative mood. Without it, commands can sound blunt.
  • Gratitude: It is the standard response to дякую (thank you). A common synonym for 'you are welcome' is прошу (stressed on the first syllable).
  • Giving: It is used when handing an object to someone ('Here you are').

Grammar and Punctuation:

  • It is usually a fixed phrase. However, a more formal variation будьте ласкаві exists, which agrees with polite Ви.
  • In writing, it is a parenthetical expression and must be set off by commas. This means it takes one comma if it appears at the very beginning or end of a sentence, and two commas only when it is in the middle.
  • It is never hyphenated.

Examples (4)

  1. Допоможіть мені, будь ласка.

    Help me, please.

    Word by Word: Help me, be kindness.

    Here, it is used with a formal imperative verb to make a polite request.

  2. — Дуже дякую! — Будь ласка.

    — Thank you very much! — You are welcome.

    Word by Word: — Very thank! — Be kindness.

    This demonstrates the standard response to an expression of gratitude.

  3. Передайте, будь ласка, сіль.

    Pass the salt, please.

    Word by Word: Pass, be kindness, salt.

    Notice how the phrase is placed in the middle of the sentence and set off by commas.

  4. Будь ласка, заходьте до хати.

    Please, come into the house.

    Word by Word: Be kindness, come into house.

    When placed at the beginning, it sets a polite tone for the invitation.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the phrase with a hyphen.

    будь-ласка
    будь ласка

    This is a very common error. In Ukrainian, 'будь ласка' is always two separate words without a hyphen.

  • Omitting commas in writing.

    Скажіть будь ласка де метро.
    Скажіть, будь ласка, де метро?

    Grammatically, 'будь ласка' is an introductory phrase and must be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

будь ласкаLevel 1Please and You Are Welcome

Words in This Pattern