-ти

Infinitive Ending -ти

Level 1Sounds Like ínfínítiv -ti

The standard literary Ukrainian infinitive ends in -ти (or -тися for reflexive verbs). While -ть is a common colloquial or poetic variant, -ти is the form you will see in dictionaries and formal writing.

How It Works

The infinitive is the base form of a verb. In Ukrainian, it has several key roles:

  • Dictionary Form: Verbs are listed by their infinitive. The standard infinitive suffix is -ти, which attaches either to vowel stems (e.g., чита-ти, писа-ти) or consonant stems. However, in real life, spoken Ukrainian, folklore, and poetry, you will frequently hear the shortened suffix -ть. This shortened suffix is strictly restricted to vowel stems (e.g., роби-ть, співа-ть) and cannot be used on consonant stems. For consonant stems, you will often see verbs ending in -сти (e.g., нес-ти, вес-ти), -зти (e.g., вез-ти, ліз-ти), -гти (e.g., мог-ти, ляг-ти), or -кти (e.g., пек-ти, втек-ти). A few also end in -рти (e.g., тер-ти) or -бти (e.g., греб-ти). Note that when a verb stem ends in 'д' or 'т', this consonant changes to 'с' before the infinitive ending (e.g., вед- + ти = вести).
  • After Modals and Impersonals: It follows verbs like хотіти (to want) or words like треба (need) and можна (possible).
  • Purpose: The infinitive is often used after verbs of motion to express purpose. You don't need a conjunction like 'in order to'. For example: Я прийшов сюди працювати (I came here to work).
  • Future Tense: For imperfective verbs, the infinitive is used to build the analytic future (буду читати) and the synthetic future (читатиму). The synthetic future is literally formed by adding future suffixes directly to the full infinitive (e.g., читати + му = читатиму).
  • As a Subject: The infinitive can act as the subject of a sentence, often followed by a dash (e.g., Жити — значить працювати).

Reflexive Verbs:
Reflexive verbs add the suffix -ся or -сь after the -ти ending, resulting in -тися or -тись. Crucially, when forming the synthetic future of a reflexive verb, the future suffix is inserted between the infinitive and the reflexive suffix (e.g., сміятися becomes сміятимуся, never сміятисяму).

Examples (6)

  1. Я хочу пити каву.

    I want to drink coffee.

    Word by Word: I want to-drink coffee.

    Here, 'пити' is the infinitive following the conjugated verb 'хочу' (I want).

  2. Тобі треба більше спати.

    You need to sleep more.

    Word by Word: To-you necessary more to-sleep.

    The infinitive 'спати' follows the impersonal word 'треба' (need/necessary).

  3. Він буде бачити все.

    He will see everything.

    Word by Word: He will to-see everything.

    The infinitive 'бачити' is used with 'буде' to form the analytic future of an imperfective verb.

  4. Студенти багато читатимуть.

    Students will read a lot.

    Word by Word: Students much will-read.

    This shows the synthetic future form where the infinitive stem is the base for the ending -муть.

  5. Ти вже вмієш говорити.

    You already know how to speak.

    Word by Word: You already know-how to-speak.

    The infinitive 'говорити' follows a verb of ability.

  6. Вчитися завжди добре.

    To study is always good.

    Word by Word: To-study-self always good.

    This shows the reflexive infinitive ending '-тися' used as the subject of the sentence.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a separate word for 'to' (like 'до').

    Я хочу до читати.
    Я хочу читати.

    Learners often try to translate the English 'to' literally. In Ukrainian, the '-ти' ending already includes the 'to' meaning.

  • Confusing the infinitive with the 3rd person singular.

    Він говорити.
    Він говорить.

    In some verb groups, the 3rd person ends in '-ить'. Beginners sometimes use the infinitive '-ити' by mistake when they mean 'he speaks'.

  • Using the Russian ending -ть.

    Я хочу спать.
    Я хочу спати.

    Standard Ukrainian infinitives always end in a hard 'т' followed by 'и'. The soft '-ть' is Russian or colloquial/poetic Ukrainian, but not standard for learners.

How It Connects

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-тиLevel 1Infinitive Ending -ти

Learn This First

The infinitive ending -ти is a foundational concept in Ukrainian grammar. To understand it, a learner primarily needs to be familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet to read the suffix and have a basic understanding of how base forms of words function in the language.

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Words in This Pattern

-ти