ти

Informal Singular You

Level 1Sounds Like ti

Ти is the Ukrainian word for 'you' when speaking to one person you know well. It is the equivalent of 'thou' or 'tu' in other languages, signaling closeness and informality.

How It Works

In Ukrainian, choosing between ти and ви (formal/plural you) is a vital social skill. Ти is used to express intimacy, solidarity, and equality.

1. When to use it:

  • Family & Friends: The standard way to address those closest to you.
  • Children & Teenagers: Generally used for anyone until they reach adulthood.
  • God: In prayers, ти is the traditional address.
  • Animals: Used when talking to pets.
  • Plurality: Note that ти is strictly singular. To address a group, you must use ви, even if they are close friends.

2. Switching to 'ти':
Moving from 'ви' to 'ти' is a distinct social step called перейти на ти. It is usually proposed by the older person or the person with higher social status. Using 'ти' without this transition is called тикання and can be seen as disrespectful. In formal writing, the polite Ви is often capitalized to show respect to a single person.

3. Verb Agreement:
In the present and future tenses, when ти is the subject, the verb takes the second-person singular ending. For example: ти знаєш (you know). In the past tense, the verb agrees with the gender of the person: ти знав (masculine) or ти знала (feminine).

4. Case Forms:
Like all Ukrainian pronouns, ти changes its form based on the case. Personal pronouns do not have a separate vocative form; the Nominative is used for direct address:

  • Nominative: ти
  • Genitive: тебе
  • Dative: тобі
  • Accusative: тебе
  • Instrumental: тобою
  • Locative: тобі

5. Pro-drop:
Ukrainian often uses verb endings without the pronoun. Because the endings -еш, -єш, -иш, -їш are unique to 'you', speakers often omit the word ти unless they want to emphasize the subject.

Examples (4)

  1. Ти тут?

    Are you here?

    Word by Word: You here?

    A simple question using the zero copula in the present tense.

  2. Як ти почуваєшся?

    How are you feeling?

    Word by Word: How you feel-self?

    Uses the informal verb ending and the reflexive suffix.

  3. Ти бачив цей фільм?

    Have you seen this movie?

    Word by Word: You saw this movie?

    In the past tense, the verb agrees with the gender of the person addressed (masculine here).

  4. Я тебе люблю.

    I love you.

    Word by Word: I you love.

    Here, 'you' is the object, so the form changes to the accusative case (тебе).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ти' with strangers or superiors (тикання).

    Пане професоре, ти знаєш?
    Пане професоре, ви знаєте?

    Using 'ти' with a teacher or stranger is called 'тикання' (tykannia) and is considered rude. Use the polite 'ви' instead.

  • Using 'ти' to address a group of friends.

    Друзі, ти тут?
    Друзі, ви тут?

    Even if you are close to everyone in a group, you must use the plural ви when addressing more than one person.

  • Confusing the pronoun 'ти' with the possessive 'твій'.

    Де ти книга?
    Де твоя книга?

    Use твій/твоя/твоє to show possession ('your'), not the subject pronoun 'ти'.

How It Connects

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

тиLevel 1Informal Singular You

Learn This First

To understand the informal singular pronoun 'ти', you need to be able to read the Cyrillic alphabet and understand how subjects function in the nominative case. Additionally, since 'ти' is often used in simple sentences without an explicit verb 'to be', familiarity with the zero copula is necessary.

Words in This Pattern