This is the Ukrainian face of the ancient Latin motto dum spiro spero — "while I breathe, I hope." «По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся» compresses a whole philosophy of resilience into four words, and along the way it showcases three structures that mark the gap between intermediate and advanced Ukrainian: the по́ки temporal clause with a plain present tense, the inherent reflexive сподіва́тися (a verb that exists only with -ся), and Ukrainian's habitual pro-drop — the subject "I" is nowhere on the page, carried entirely by the verb endings. The dash does grammatical work too.
The proverb
По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While I live, I hope. (≈ where there's life, there's hope; dum spiro spero)
По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While [I] live — [I] hope.
This is the standard Ukrainian rendering of the Latin dum spiro spero (attributed to Ovid; also echoed in Cicero). You will also meet the variant «По́ки ди́хаю — сподіва́юся» ("while I breathe, I hope"), a closer calque of the Latin spiro ("breathe"), and the older folk equivalent «Вік живи́ — вік сподіва́йся». The meaning is the same across all three: as long as there is life, there is reason to hope; never give up while you are still here. It is said to comfort — to oneself or another — in hardship, illness, or any situation that looks lost. The register is elevated, aphoristic (the kind of line carved on a monument or quoted in a speech), not casual chat.
Word by word
| Word | What it is | Literal sense |
|---|---|---|
| по́ки | subordinating conjunction (time) | "while / as long as" |
| живу́ | verb — 1st sg present of жи́ти | "[I] live" |
| — | dash — marks the dropped "then" / clause boundary | "[then]" |
| сподіва́юся | verb — 1st sg present of сподіва́тися (reflexive) | "[I] hope" |
There is no я ("I"). Both verbs are first-person singular, and the -у / -ся endings already say "I" — so the pronoun is dropped. That is the third lesson.
The grammar
по́ки + present — "for as long as it stays true"
по́ки ("while, as long as, until") opens a temporal subordinate clause. The crucial point for a learner: with по́ки in its "while / as long as" sense, the verb stays in the plain present — живу́, present tense — to express an action that is ongoing and co-extensive with the main clause. The proverb is not about one moment; it says "throughout the whole stretch that I am alive, I hope." Present + present is exactly how Ukrainian aligns two open-ended, simultaneous states. (по́ки has a second life meaning "until," where it pairs with the perfective and often a negation — почека́й, по́ки я не поверну́ся, "wait until I come back" — but that is a different construction.)
По́ки ма́ємо си́лу, тре́ба боро́тися.
As long as we have the strength, we must fight. (по́ки + present, two ongoing states)
По́ки сві́тить со́нце, ді́ти гра́ються надво́рі.
While the sun shines, the children play outside. (по́ки + present = simultaneity)
По́ки ди́хаю — сподіва́юся.
While I breathe, I hope. (the closer-to-Latin variant, same structure)
For по́ки/до́ки alongside коли́, як ті́льки, and пе́ред тим як, see Subordinating Conjunctions: Time and Cause.
сподіва́тися — the inherent reflexive (a -ся verb with no -ся-less twin)
Here is the heart of the page. сподіва́тися ("to hope") carries the postfix -ся — but this is not the reflexive "oneself." There is no verb "сподіва́ти": the word simply does not exist without -ся. сподіва́тися belongs to the class of inherent reflexives (also called deponents or media tantum) — verbs that are -ся by their very nature, where -ся is a fused, inseparable part of the lexeme, not a meaningful "self." English speakers stumble here because -ся looks like it should add a reflexive sense, but in сподіва́тися (like боя́тися "fear," смія́тися "laugh," пиша́тися "be proud," усміха́тися "smile") it adds nothing translatable at all — it is just part of how the verb is spelled and conjugated.
Я споді́ваюся на кра́ще, навіть коли́ все пога́но.
I hope for the best even when everything's bad. (сподіва́тися — only exists with -ся)
Вони́ смія́лися до сліз над тіє́ю істо́рією.
They laughed to tears over that story. (смія́тися — another inherent reflexive)
Не бі́йся попроси́ти про допомо́гу.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. (боя́тися — inherent -ся, takes the genitive)
Note the government: сподіва́тися takes на + accusative for what you hope for (сподіва́тися на кра́ще, "to hope for the best") or a що-clause (споді́ваюся, що…). On the five jobs of -ся and the inherent class specifically, see The Many Meanings of -ся. The verb's full pattern and constructions are in сподіва́тися: Reference.
Pro-drop — where did "я" go?
The proverb has two finite verbs and zero subject pronouns. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language: because the personal ending of the verb already encodes person and number, the subject pronoun я / ти / ми is normally omitted unless it is emphasised or contrasted. живу́ can only be "I live" (the -у ending is unambiguously 1st sg); сподіва́юся can only be "I hope." Spelling out «По́ки я живу́, я сподіва́юся» would be grammatical but heavy and over-explicit, and it would lose the proverb's clean, gnomic ring. English, lacking person-marking endings, is forced to keep "I"; Ukrainian throws it away.
Не зна́ю, що роби́ти.
I don't know what to do. (no я — the -ю ending says 'I')
Лю́биш ка́ву чи чай?
Do you like coffee or tea? (no ти — the -иш ending says 'you')
When you do keep the pronoun — for emphasis or contrast — and when you must drop it, see Subject Pronouns Are Optional.
The generalising "I" — personal yet universal
Although both verbs are first-person singular, the proverb is not a private confession; the "I" is generic / generalising. It means "as long as anyone lives, they hope" — the 1st person is a vivid way of stating a universal truth from the inside, the way English "I believe it when I see it" can mean "one believes…". Ukrainian proverbs often pick a single grammatical person (1st sg here, 2nd sg in many others) to voice a law that applies to everyone. Reading сподіва́юся as "I, the speaker, personally" misses the proverb's reach: it is everyone's hope, phrased in the most intimate person available.
Що посі́єш, те й пожне́ш.
As you sow, so shall you reap. (a generalising 2nd-person proverb — 'you' = anyone)
The dash — punctuation doing grammar
The dash (тире́) in «По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся» is not a stylistic pause. Ukrainian uses the dash to mark a sharp logical boundary between two juxtaposed clauses, especially where a "then / and so" link has been dropped: "while I live — [then/and so] I hope." It substitutes for a conjunction (то, тоді́) and lends the sentence its terse, weighty, aphoristic feel. Many Ukrainian proverbs and maxims use exactly this dash to oppose two halves: «Сло́во — срі́бло, мовча́ння — зо́лото» ("a word is silver, silence is gold"). Reading the dash as a mere comma flattens the rhetoric.
Робо́та не вовк — у ліс не втече́.
Work isn't a wolf — it won't run off into the forest. (dash juxtaposing two clauses, dropped 'so')
Зроби́в спра́ву — гуляй сміли́во.
Done the job — then stroll about freely. (dash for the dropped 'then')
On the dash, the comma, and Ukrainian quotation marks «…», see Punctuation and Quotation Marks.
When you'd actually say it
You say it to refuse despair — to steady yourself or someone else when things look hopeless.
— Ліка́рі ка́жуть, що ша́нсів ма́ло. — По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся, і ти не здавайся.
'The doctors say there's little chance.' 'While I live, I hope — and don't you give up either.'
На две́рях кабіне́ту він написа́в деві́з: «По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся».
On his office door he wrote the motto: 'While I live, I hope.'
Glossary
| Word | Form / note | Everyday equivalent / contrast |
|---|---|---|
| по́ки | conj. of time, "while / as long as" (+ present here) | = до́ки; "until" sense pairs with perfective + не |
| живу́ | 1st sg present of жи́ти "to live" (no я) | infinitive жи́ти; stress on ending живу́ |
| сподіва́юся | 1st sg of сподіва́тися "to hope"; inherent -ся | no form *сподіва́ти exists; takes на + acc |
| — (тире́) | dash for the dropped "then / and so" | links two clauses, ≈ то/тоді́ |
Common Mistakes
❌ По́ки живу́ — сподіва́ю.
Incorrect — the verb is сподіва́тися; there is no form 'сподіва́ю'. The -ся is inseparable: сподіва́юся.
✅ По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While I live, I hope. (inherent reflexive keeps -ся)
❌ По́ки я живу́, я сподіва́юся.
Over-explicit — Ukrainian drops the subject pronoun; the doubled я sounds heavy and unidiomatic in a maxim.
✅ По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While I live, I hope. (pro-drop, no я)
❌ По́ки буду́ жи́ти — сподіва́юся.
Wrong tense — по́ки 'as long as' here takes the plain present живу́ for an ongoing state, not the future буду жити.
✅ По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While I live, I hope. (present for the co-extensive state)
❌ По́ки живу́ — наді́юся на кра́ще.
Acceptable in speech, but наді́ятися is the more colloquial synonym; the fixed proverb uses сподіва́тися — don't swap it in the set phrase.
✅ По́ки живу́ — сподіва́юся.
While I live, I hope. (canonical wording)
Now practice Ukrainian
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Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- Subordinating Conjunctions: Time and CauseA2 — The subordinators that attach a when-clause or a why-clause, each with an OBLIGATORY comma before it. Time: коли́ 'when' (future after коли́ for future reference — Коли́ закі́нчу, відпочи́ну, both future!), по́ки/до́ки 'while/until', як ті́льки 'as soon as', пі́сля то́го як 'after', перш ніж / пе́ред тим як 'before', відто́ді як 'since'. Cause: бо 'because' (everyday, never starts a sentence), тому́ що (slightly more formal), оскі́льки 'since', че́рез те що, завдяки́ тому́ що 'thanks to'; тому́ alone = 'therefore'.
- The Many Meanings of -сяB1 — A deep dive into what -ся actually does. Five jobs: REFLEXIVE (Він ми́ється 'washes himself'), RECIPROCAL (Вони́ сва́ряться 'they quarrel'), PASSIVE/MIDDLE (Кни́га легко́ чита́ється 'the book reads easily', Як це пи́шеться? 'how is this spelled?'), INHERENT (смія́тися, боя́тися+gen, надія́тися), and MEANING-CHANGING pairs where -ся flips the sense entirely: вчи́ти 'teach' → вчи́тися 'learn', знахо́дити 'find' → знахо́дитися 'be located', розхо́дитися 'disperse'. The big lesson: -ся is a multifunctional derivational tool, not just 'oneself' — so a verb's with-/without-ся forms must be learned as two different verbs, some take the genitive, and the passive -ся needs no agent.
- Subject Pronouns Are OptionalA1 — Ukrainian is a pro-drop language: because every present-tense ending uniquely marks the subject, the pronouns я, ти, він/вона, ми, ви, вони are normally dropped (Чита́ю 'I read', Що ро́биш? 'what are you doing?'). You add them only for emphasis or contrast — but the gendered, person-blind past tense often brings the pronoun back.
- Verb Reference: Сподіватися / Надіятися (to hope)B1 — Conjugation-and-usage reference for the two Ukrainian 'hope' verbs: neutral сподіва́тися (сподіва́юся) and colloquial наді́ятися (наді́юся). Both are imperfective synonyms — NOT an aspect pair. Covers full present, gendered past, both imperfective futures, the imperative, the government сподіва́тися НА + accusative / сподіва́тися, що…, and the stylistic split between the two verbs.
- Ukrainian Punctuation and Quotation MarksB1 — The punctuation conventions that differ from English: guillemets « » for quotes, the dash for dialogue, the dash that replaces a missing 'is', the obligatory comma before що / який / щоб / бо / коли, the decimal comma, and the lowercase months, days, and nationalities.
- Proverb: «Хто рано встає, тому Бог дає»A2 — An annotated reading of the proverb «Хто рано встає, тому Бог дає» (the early bird): the headless relative хто…тому, the dative recipient тому, and the gnomic present встає/дає.