How To Form Plural Nouns In Ukrainian Without The Headache
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Changing a word from singular to plural in Ukrainian is a fundamental skill you need to build sentences.
The endings of Ukrainian plural nouns depend entirely on the gender of the word.
This means you must first know if the noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter.
Once you know the gender, you simply swap the last letter for a new plural ending.
This guide will show you exactly how to form nominative plural nouns for each gender.
Table of Contents:
Masculine plural nouns
Masculine words in Ukrainian usually end in a consonant.
To make them plural, you just need to add a specific vowel to the end of the word.
If the word ends in a hard consonant, you simply add the letter -и.
If the word ends in a soft sign (-ь), you replace that soft sign with the letter -і.
If the word ends in -й, you replace it with -ї.
| Rule | Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add -и | студент (student) | студенти | students |
| Add -и | телефон (telefon) | телефони | phones |
| Replace -ь with -і | вчитель (vchytel’) | вчителі | teachers |
| Replace -й with -ї | музей (muzey) | музеї | museums |
Here’s an example of a masculine plural noun in a common sentence.
Де мої телефони?
Feminine plural nouns
Feminine words in Ukrainian almost always end in the vowels -а or -я.
For feminine plurals, you just need to swap these final vowels for new ones.
If the word ends in -а, you replace it with -и.
If the word ends in -я, you replace it with -і.
You’ll also use -ї if the original -я comes directly after another vowel.
| Rule | Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace -а with -и | машина (mashyna) | машини | cars |
| Replace -а with -и | жінка (zhinka) | жінки | women |
| Replace -я with -і | пісня (pisnya) | пісні | songs |
| Replace -я with -ї | сім’я (sim’ya) | сім’ї | families |
Here’s an example of a feminine plural noun in action.
Я люблю ці пісні.
Neuter plural nouns
Neuter nouns typically end in the vowels -о or -е.
These are the easiest words to change into plurals.
If a neuter word ends in -о, you change that ending to -а.
If it ends in -е, you change that ending to -я.
| Rule | Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace -о with -а | вікно (vikno) | вікна | windows |
| Replace -о with -а | місто (misto) | міста | cities |
| Replace -е with -я | море (more) | моря | seas |
| Replace -е with -я | місце (mistse) | місця | places |
Here’s an example using a neuter plural noun.
Нам потрібні нові вікна.
Important spelling exceptions
Like any language, Ukrainian has a few minor exceptions to these basic rules.
Some nouns change their internal vowels when they become plural.
The most common change is the vowel і shifting to о or е inside masculine words.
For example, кіт (cat) becomes коти (cats), and стіл (table) becomes столи (tables).
You’ll also find that some Ukrainian words only exist in the plural form.
Words like гроші (money), окуляри (glasses), and двері (doors) are always treated as plural.
You’ll naturally memorize these exceptions as you continue reading and listening to Ukrainian.
