-у/-ю

Feminine Accusative Ending

Level 1Sounds Like znahídnij žínočogo rodu -u/-û

Feminine nouns ending in -а change to -у, and those ending in -я change to -ю in the accusative case.

How It Works

In Ukrainian, when a feminine noun is the target of an action, its ending must change. This applies to almost all feminine nouns ending in -а or -я, regardless of whether they are people, animals, or objects.

1. Hard Stems (-а → -у)
Nouns ending in a consonant + -а change the ending to -у.

книга (book) → читаю книгу
мама (mom) → люблю маму

2. Soft Stems (-я → -ю)
Nouns ending in -я change the ending to -ю.

пісня (song) → співаю пісню
вулиця (street) → бачу вулицю

3. Mixed Stems (ж, ч, ш, щ + а → -у)
Even if the sound feels 'soft', nouns ending in sibilants + -а always take -у.

каша (porridge) → їм кашу
площа (square) → йду на площу

4. Masculine Nouns in -а/-я
A few masculine nouns like Микола or суддя (judge) follow this feminine pattern because of their endings: бачу Миколу, чекаю суддю.

Important Note: Unlike masculine nouns, feminine nouns in this group change their ending whether they are alive (animate) or not (inanimate).

Examples (5)

Я читаю цікаву книгу.
I am reading an interesting book.
Word by Word: I read interesting book.
The noun 'книга' (book) is the direct object, so it changes from -а to -у.
Він любить свою сім'ю.
He loves his family.
Word by Word: He loves his family.
The noun 'сім'я' (family) has a soft stem, so it changes from -я to -ю.
Ми йдемо на вечірку.
We are going to a party.
Word by Word: We go onto party.
After the preposition 'на' indicating destination, 'вечірка' changes to 'вечірку'.
Я бачу Миколу.
I see Mykola.
Word by Word: I see Mykola.
Even though Mykola is a masculine name, it ends in -а and follows the feminine accusative pattern.
Вона їсть смачну кашу.
She is eating tasty porridge.
Word by Word: She eats tasty porridge.
The noun 'каша' ends in a sibilant 'ш', so it takes the -у ending.

Common Mistakes

Using the nominative case for direct objects.
Я бачу мама.
Я бачу маму.
In Ukrainian, you must change the ending of the noun when it is the object of the verb 'бачити' (to see).
Not changing inanimate feminine nouns.
Я купую машина.
Я купую машину.
Learners often think only people/animals change endings. However, all feminine nouns ending in -а/-я change in the accusative, including objects like 'машина' (car).
Forgetting to change the adjective agreement.
Я бачу велика собаку.
Я бачу велику собаку.
Adjectives describing the noun must also change their ending to match the accusative case.

How It Connects

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

-у/-юLevel 1Feminine Accusative Ending

Learn This First

This pattern introduces the first case change for nouns. To understand it, learners must be able to identify feminine nouns (usually ending in -а/-я) and understand the concept of grammatical gender.