вони + -уть/-ють/-ать/-ять

Present Third-person Plural

Level 1Sounds Like voni + -utʹ/-ûtʹ/-atʹ/-âtʹ

To say 'they do' something in Ukrainian, you add -уть/-ють (Group I) or -ать/-ять (Group II) to the verb stem.

How It Works

In Ukrainian, the present third-person plural for the subject вони (they) is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem. To find this stem, drop the infinitive ending -ти. For Group II verbs, you also drop the vowel suffix (like -и-, -і-, or -я-). For example, говорити becomes говор- + -ять (говорять). To choose the right ending, identify the conjugation group.

How to identify the group:

  • Group II: Usually verbs ending in -ити (e.g., говорити), some in -іти (e.g., сидіти), and some in -яти (e.g., стояти). This also includes a few verbs ending in -ати after a sibilant (ж, ч, ш, щ), such as лежати (лежать) and мовчати (мовчать), plus the exception спати (сплять).
  • Group I: Most other verbs, including those ending in -ати (where the -а- stays, e.g., читати -> читають), -увати, and many common verbs like розуміти (розуміють). Some verbs require an apostrophe (e.g., пити -> п'ють).

1. Group I (First Conjugation):

  • -уть: Used after hard consonants. If the stem changes to a sibilant (ж, ч, ш, щ), it still uses -уть (e.g., писати -> пишуть).
  • -ють: Used after vowels (e.g., читають), after an apostrophe (e.g., п'ють), and after soft consonants. For verbs in -увати, the -ува- changes to -у- before adding -ють (e.g., працювати -> працюють).

2. Group II (Second Conjugation):

  • -ать: Used only after sibilants (ж, ч, ш, щ) (e.g., лежать, біжать).
  • -ять: Used after other consonants (e.g., говорять) or after vowels (e.g., стоять). Important: Unlike the я (I) form, dental consonants (д, т, з, с) do not change in the 'вони' form (e.g., водити -> водять, не воджять).

Special Patterns:
If a verb stem ends in a labial consonant (б, п, в, м, ф), an extra -л- is often inserted (e.g., люблять, сплять). Stress can shift between the infinitive and the 'вони' form; you will become confident with these through practice.

Common Exceptions:
їсти (to eat) -> їдять, дати (to give) -> дадуть, and хотіти (to want) -> хочуть.

Reflexive Verbs:
For verbs ending in -ся, add it after the ending (e.g., дивляться). The ending -ться is pronounced as a long, soft [ts'a].

Note: Using these endings with a perfective verb creates the future tense.

Examples (5)

  1. Вони зараз обідають у кафе.

    They are having lunch in the cafe right now.

    Word by Word: They now lunch in cafe.

    Group I verb (обідати). The stem ends in a vowel, so we add -ють.

  2. Мої друзі дуже добре говорять українською.

    My friends speak Ukrainian very well.

    Word by Word: My friends very well speak Ukrainian.

    Group II verb (говорити). The stem takes the -ять ending.

  3. Діти сплять у сусідній кімнаті.

    The children are sleeping in the next room.

    Word by Word: Children sleep in neighboring room.

    Group II verb (спати). Because the stem ends in 'п' (labial), an 'л' is inserted: сплять.

  4. Вони пишуть листа батькам.

    They are writing a letter to their parents.

    Word by Word: They write letter to parents.

    Group I verb (писати). The stem ends in a consonant, so we add -уть.

  5. Студенти вчать нові слова.

    The students are learning new words.

    Word by Word: Students learn new words.

    Group II verb (вчити). After the sibilant 'ч', the ending is -ать.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to drop the vowel suffix along with -ти for Group II verbs.

    Вони говориють українською.
    Вони говорять українською.

    Depending on the verb group, you may need to drop the vowel suffix preceding the -ти as well to find the correct present tense stem. For Group II verbs like говорити, you must remove the entire suffix -ити to get the stem 'говор-' before adding -ять. Removing only -ти results in the incorrect 'говориють'.

  • Missing the 'л' insertion for labial stems.

    Вони любять морозиво.
    Вони люблять морозиво.

    For verbs like любити, an 'л' must be added before the ending: люблять, not любять.

  • Confusing Group I and Group II endings.

    Вони говоруть швидко.
    Вони говорять швидко.

    Говорити is a Group II verb, so it requires -ять, not the Group I ending -уть.

How It Connects

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вони + -уть/-ють/-ать/-ятьLevel 1Present Third-person Plural

Learn This First

To understand the third-person plural conjugation, you first need to be familiar with the corresponding personal pronoun 'вони' (they) which dictates these specific verb endings.

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вони