This proverb packs two grammar lessons into six words. «Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду» — literally "Without having asked about the ford, don't climb into the water" — pairs a perfective verbal adverb (the compact -вши form that names a prior action) with a negative imperative (a prohibition). Both are structures English handles with whole clauses, and both are exactly the forms B2 learners tend to dodge. Memorise the proverb and you carry both away for free.
The proverb
Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Don't get into the water without [first] having asked about the ford. (≈ look before you leap)
Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Not having-asked the-ford, don't climb into the-water.
This is traditional folk wisdom (наро́дне прислі́в’я), public-domain, and recorded in this exact wording in the academic dictionary СУМ. A брід is a ford — a shallow place where you can wade or drive across a river. The image is concrete and old: before you plunge a cart or your own legs into an unknown river, you ask the locals where the safe crossing is. Figuratively it means: gather information and judge the risk before you commit to something irreversible. You say it to someone about to act rashly — sign a contract unread, quit a job on impulse, dive into an investment they don't understand.
Word by word
| Word | What it is | Literal sense |
|---|---|---|
| не | negative particle (scope = спита́вши) | "not / without" |
| спита́вши | perfective verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник) of спита́ти | "having asked" |
| бро́ду | noun, masculine — genitive sg of брід | "(about) the ford" |
| не | negative particle (scope = лізь) | "don't" |
| лізь | verb — 2nd sg imperative of лі́зти (imperfective) | "climb / get in" |
| у | preposition (+ accusative here = motion into) | "into" |
| во́ду | noun, feminine — accusative sg of вода́ | "the water" |
Notice there is no spoken subject. The understood "you" lives entirely in the imperative ending of лізь and in the generalised, advice-giving тон of a proverb: this is a rule addressed to anyone.
The grammar
спита́вши — the perfective verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник)
This is the page's centrepiece. спита́вши is a perfective verbal adverb — a non-finite form that names an action completed before the main verb. English has no single word for it; the closest equivalents are "having asked," "once you've asked," or "without asking." Built from the perfective спита́ти ("to ask, to enquire") plus the suffix -вши, it says: first this action is finished, then the main action happens (or, under negation here, shouldn't happen).
The aspect is the whole point. A perfective verbal adverb (-вши) marks a prior, completed act — "having asked." Its imperfective counterpart (-чи) would mark a simultaneous, ongoing act. Compare: спита́вши = "having asked (and finished)"; пита́ючи = "while asking." The proverb wants the prior reading — you ask first, then you cross — so -вши is obligatory.
Прочита́вши догові́р, вона́ одра́зу зателефонува́ла юри́сту.
Having read the contract, she immediately called the lawyer. (perfective -вши = prior, completed action)
Не подя́кувавши, він про́сто пішо́в.
Without saying thank you, he just left. (не + perfective verbal adverb)
Поснідавши, ми ви́рушили в доро́гу.
Having had breakfast, we set off. (the -вши action finishes first)
For how -вши verbal adverbs are formed and when to choose them over -чи, see Perfective Verbal Adverbs. On the aspect difference that drives the choice, see Aspect: Overview.
бро́ду — the genitive under negation (and after "asking")
спита́ти ("to ask about") governs the genitive of the thing enquired about: спита́ти бро́ду = "to ask about the ford." So бро́ду is genitive singular of брід. Two forces converge to make it genitive: this verb naturally takes the genitive of the thing sought, and the whole clause is negated (не спита́вши) — and Ukrainian strongly favours the genitive for the object of a negated verb. Either way the answer is the same form: бро́ду, not the accusative брід.
Він не зна́є бро́ду, тому́ боїться перехо́дити рі́чку.
He doesn't know the ford, so he's afraid to cross the river. (genitive of the negated object)
Спита́й доро́ги в місце́вих, бо ма́па тут не допомага́є.
Ask the locals for directions — the map's no help here. (спита́ти + genitive доро́ги)
On dropping the accusative for the genitive whenever the verb is negated, see Genitive of Negation and Absence.
не лізь — the negative imperative (a prohibition)
не лізь is the second engine of the proverb: a negative imperative, 2nd person singular, from лі́зти ("to climb, to get/crawl into"). The aspect choice here is the mirror image of the verbal adverb's. For a prohibition ("don't do this!"), Ukrainian overwhelmingly uses the imperfective verb — лі́зти is imperfective, so не лізь is the natural "don't get in." A perfective negative imperative (не зали́зь) would not mean a general prohibition; it would mean a warning against an accidental single act ("mind you don't accidentally get in"). The proverb gives blanket advice, so the imperfective не лізь is exactly right.
Не біжи́ так шви́дко — впаде́ш!
Don't run so fast — you'll fall! (imperfective negative imperative = general prohibition)
Не купу́й нічо́го, по́ки не порівня́єш ці́ни.
Don't buy anything until you've compared the prices. (не + imperfective imperative)
Не кажи́ «гоп», по́ки не перестри́бнеш.
Don't say 'hop' until you've jumped over. (a sister proverb, same не + imperfective imperative)
For why prohibitions take the imperfective — and why a one-off warning flips back to the perfective — see Aspect in the Imperative.
у во́ду — motion into (accusative), not location in (locative)
The crossing is dynamic: you go into the water. Ukrainian marks this with у/в + accusative — у во́ду = "into the water." Had the proverb described a static location ("the keys are in the water"), it would need у/в + locative: у воді́. This accusative-vs-locative contrast after the same preposition is the single most reliable way Ukrainian distinguishes motion toward a place from being at it. лі́зти is a verb of directed motion, so the accusative во́ду follows automatically.
Не стрибай у во́ду, не переві́ривши глибину́.
Don't jump into the water without checking the depth. (у + accusative = motion into; plus another не + verbal adverb)
Діти забі́гли в кімна́ту й гу́чно засмія́лися.
The children ran into the room and laughed loudly. (в + accusative кімна́ту = motion in)
The full accusative-vs-locative split after у/в, на, and за is laid out in Prepositions Governing the Accusative.
Why the у doesn't become в here
You may have learned that Ukrainian swaps у ↔ в for euphony. After бро́ду (which ends in a vowel, -у) the form у во́ду keeps у, not в, because the next word во́ду itself begins with a consonant cluster (в-о): writing «в воду» would stack two в's and clog the mouth. The euphonic rule prefers у before a word starting with в or ф. So у во́ду is not a typo for "в воду" — it is the rule working correctly.
When you'd actually say it
You say it to talk someone out of a hasty, under-informed move.
— Я за́втра звільня́юся й відкрива́ю свій бізнес! — Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду — спочатку порахуй гро́ші.
'Tomorrow I'm quitting and opening my own business!' 'Look before you leap — count the money first.'
Пе́ред тим як підпи́сувати, прочитай усе́: не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Before you sign, read everything: don't get into the water without asking about the ford.
Glossary
| Word | Form / note | Everyday equivalent / contrast |
|---|---|---|
| брід | masc. noun, "ford"; gen sg бро́ду (о/і: брід → бро́ду) | мі́сце, де мо́жна перейти́ рі́чку вброд |
| спита́вши | perfective verbal adverb of спита́ти, "having asked" | imperfective пита́ючи = "while asking" |
| не лізь | negative imperative 2sg of лі́зти (imperfective) | не залазь is colloquial; perfective не залі́зь = "mind you don't get in" |
| у во́ду | у + accusative = motion into | vs. у воді́ (locative) = "in the water" (static) |
Common Mistakes
❌ Не спита́вши брід, не лізь у во́ду.
Incorrect — спита́ти / a negated verb takes the genitive: спита́вши бро́ду, not the accusative брід.
✅ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Don't get into the water without asking about the ford. (genitive бро́ду)
❌ Не спита́ючи бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Wrong aspect — the asking happens FIRST and is completed, so it needs the perfective -вши form спита́вши, not the imperfective -чи form пита́ючи.
✅ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
Having (first) asked about the ford… (perfective verbal adverb)
❌ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не залі́зь у во́ду.
Wrong aspect for a general prohibition — use the imperfective не лізь; the perfective не залі́зь reads as 'mind you don't accidentally get in', not blanket advice.
✅ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
…don't get into the water. (imperfective prohibition)
❌ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у воді́.
Incorrect — лі́зти is motion INTO the water, so it needs у + accusative во́ду, not the locative воді́.
✅ Не спита́вши бро́ду, не лізь у во́ду.
…don't get into the water. (у + accusative for motion)
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Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- Verbal Adverbs: Perfective (-вши / -ши)B2 — The perfective verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник доко́наного ви́ду) is formed from the past/infinitive stem + -вши/-ши (прочита́вши 'having read', зроби́вши 'having done', прийшо́вши 'having arrived', сівши 'having sat down', прині́сши with a consonant stem + -ши). It expresses an action COMPLETED BEFORE the main verb, same subject: Прочита́вши кни́гу, він поверну́в її 'having read the book, he returned it'. Aspect sets the time relation: -вши perfective = prior action ('after / having done'); -ючи imperfective = simultaneous ('while doing'). The same-subject rule applies exactly as for the imperfective form.
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — In commands, aspect carries pragmatic weight. The PERFECTIVE imperative (Прочита́й! Закри́й! Напиши́! Зроби́!) makes a single, specific, one-off request you want completed. The IMPERFECTIVE imperative (Чита́й бі́льше! Заходь! Не закрива́й!) is for a general or repeated instruction, an invitation/process, politeness — and crucially for NEGATIVE prohibitions, which strongly prefer the imperfective. The twist: a one-time WARNING against an accidental event flips back to the perfective — Не впади́! Не забу́дь! Не загуби́ ключі́!
- Genitive of Negation and AbsenceA2 — How Ukrainian expresses absence and negation with the genitive — нема́є/нема́ + genitive for 'there is no' (нема́є ча́су, у ме́не нема́є бра́та), не було́/не бу́де + genitive for past and future absence (вчора́ не було́ дощу́), and the case-flip on negated objects where the accusative becomes genitive (Я ма́ю кни́гу → Я не ма́ю кни́ги), the earliest must-know pattern for saying 'I don't have' in Ukrainian.
- Prepositions Governing the AccusativeA2 — The accusative is the case of topic, crossing, exchange, and direction. Always-accusative prepositions: про 'about', че́рез 'through/across/because of/in (a time)', за 'in exchange / within (a time)', по 'for/to fetch', попри 'in spite of', понад 'over (a quantity)'. Plus the alternating spatial set в/у, на, за, під, над — which take the accusative ONLY for motion-toward (куди?) and switch to the locative or instrumental for static location. The insight English speakers miss: 'about' is про + ACCUSATIVE (думаю про тебе — no genitive!), direction always pulls the accusative, and 'thanks for' is дякую за + accusative.
- Verbal Aspect: The Big PictureA2 — Aspect is the central, pervasive feature of the Ukrainian verb: nearly every verb belongs to an aspect PAIR — imperfective (недоко́наний вид), which views an action as a process, ongoing, repeated, or general (чита́ти), and perfective (доко́наний вид), which views it as a single completed whole with a result or boundary (прочита́ти). The consequences are sharp: imperfectives have a present, a past, and BOTH futures (бу́ду чита́ти / чита́тиму); perfectives have NO present — their present-shaped form is future (прочита́ю = 'I will read it through') — only a past (прочита́в) and a simple future (прочита́ю). Aspect is chosen for EVERY verb in EVERY clause; it is not optional, and it has no English equivalent.
- Proverb: «Не кажи́ «гоп», до́ки не переско́чиш»B1 — A close reading of 'don't say hop until you've jumped over' — why prohibitions take the imperfective imperative and how доки не + perfective future builds an 'until' clause.