This proverb is the Ukrainian "measure twice, cut once" — except Ukrainians measure seven times. In one tidy line it freezes three things learners usually meet as dry rules: the perfective imperative (a single, completed command), the counting of раз ('time, occurrence'), and the way a numeral pulls its noun into a different case. It is advice every carpenter, tailor, and grandmother repeats, and it is grammatically airtight.
«Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж».
'Measure seven times, cut once.' (Think it through before you act — once it's done, it can't be undone.)
Ukrainians say this to anyone about to make an irreversible decision in a hurry — signing a contract, quitting a job, sending an angry message. The image is concrete: cloth or wood. You can re-measure as often as you like, but the cut is final. So check, re-check, and only then act.
Word by word
| Word | Lemma | Form | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Сім | сім | cardinal numeral | 'seven' — governs the genitive plural |
| разі́в | раз | masculine noun, genitive plural | 'times' — counted noun after сім |
| відмі́ряй | відмі́ряти (perfective) | imperative, 2nd person singular | 'measure (out)' — a single completed act |
| оди́н | оди́н | cardinal numeral, masculine | 'one' — agrees with раз |
| раз | раз | masculine noun, nominative/accusative singular | 'time' — after оди́н the noun is singular |
| відрі́ж | відрі́зати (perfective) | imperative, 2nd person singular | 'cut (off)' — a single completed act |
The two halves rhyme in structure: numeral + раз-form + perfective command. The asymmetry is the whole point — seven measurings, one cut.
The grammar
The perfective imperative: відмі́ряй, відрі́ж
Both commands are perfective, and that choice is deliberate. Ukrainian verbs come in aspect pairs: an imperfective member that views an action as a process or a habit, and a perfective member that views it as a single, completed whole. In the imperative, the perfective tells someone to carry an action through to its result, once. That is exactly what the proverb wants: do the measuring to completion (відмі́ряй, not the ongoing мі́ряй), then make the one decisive cut (відрі́ж).
Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж.
'Measure seven times, cut once.'
Compare the same verbs in real instructions, where a finished result is wanted:
Відрі́ж мені́ шмато́чок то́рта, будь ла́ска.
'Cut me a slice of cake, please.'
Відмі́ряй два ме́три ткани́ни — цілко́м ви́стачить на спідни́цю.
'Measure out two metres of fabric — that's plenty for a skirt.'
Note відрі́ж: it comes from відрі́зати, and its imperative is irregular-looking because the present stem ends in a consonant (відріж-у → відрі́ж). The stress lands on the prefix-less root vowel. For how each verb class builds its imperative, see imperative formation.
Why the perfective, not the imperfective — the deeper logic
English has no aspect on its imperatives, so "measure" and "cut" carry no built-in sense of completion; the number "seven times" does that work. Ukrainian builds the completion into the verb itself. The prefix від- turns the bare process verbs мі́ряти / рі́зати into result-focused perfectives: відмі́ряти ('to measure out a definite amount') and відрі́зати ('to cut a piece off'). A learner who internalises this can predict the aspect of almost any one-shot instruction.
Напиши́ йому́ листа́ і відпра́в сього́дні ж.
'Write him a letter and send it this very day.'
Зателефону́й ма́мі, вона́ хвилю́ється.
'Call your mum, she's worried.'
Each of these is a single, expected-to-be-completed act — so each verb is perfective. See the meaning of the perfective.
Counting раз: сім разі́в vs оди́н раз
Раз means 'time, occurrence' (as in "three times"), and it shows the numeral-case rule in miniature. After сім (7) — and every number from 5 upward — the counted noun jumps into the genitive plural: сім разі́в. But after оди́н (1), the noun stays singular and agrees with оди́н like an adjective: оди́н раз (masculine singular). So the proverb pairs a genitive plural with a singular, and that contrast is grammatically loaded, not just stylistic.
Я був там лише́ оди́н раз, але́ запам’ята́в наза́вжди.
'I was there only once, but I remembered it forever.'
Він зателефонува́в п’ять разі́в за годи́ну.
'He called five times in an hour.'
Спро́буй ще оди́н раз — цьо́го ра́зу ви́йде.
'Try one more time — this time it'll work.'
The number is the boss of the noun: 1 → singular (оди́н раз), 2–4 → раз-и in older counting but commonly рази́ nominative plural (два рази́), 5 and up → genitive plural (сім разі́в, де́сять разі́в). See numerals after which the genitive appears and numeral agreement.
Generalised "you": who is being commanded?
The imperatives відмі́ряй / відрі́ж are 2nd-person singular, but nobody specific is addressed. This is the generalised "you" of proverbs — advice aimed at anyone, the way English "look before you leap" addresses no one in particular. Ukrainian uses the bare singular imperative for this gnomic, timeless advice, which is why proverbs feel personal even though they are universal.
Не зна́єш бро́ду — не лізь у во́ду.
'If you don't know the ford, don't go into the water.' (Don't rush into what you don't understand.)
Glossary
- раз — 'a time, an occurrence' (English "once / twice / three times"). Genitive plural разі́в. As an adverb, раз can also mean 'once / one day' or even 'since' (раз так — 'since that's how it is').
- відмі́ряти (perfective; imperfective відмі́рювати) — 'to measure out, to mark off a definite amount.'
- відрі́зати (perfective; imperfective відрі́зувати / відріза́ти) — 'to cut off, to cut a piece.'
- Variant: you will also hear «Сім раз відмі́р, оди́н раз відрі́ж», with the older short imperative відмі́р and раз uninflected. This is folksy and rhythmic but the textbook-standard form is «Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж».
Common Mistakes
❌ Сім рази́ відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж.
Wrong case — after сім the noun must be genitive plural: разі́в.
✅ Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж.
'Measure seven times, cut once.'
After 5 and above, the counted noun is genitive plural. Сім разі́в, not сім рази́.
❌ Сім разі́в мі́ряй, оди́н раз ріж.
Wrong aspect — the imperfective makes it sound like aimless, repeated measuring/cutting.
✅ Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж.
'Measure seven times, cut once.'
The proverb wants completed, one-shot acts, so both verbs are perfective: відмі́ряй / відрі́ж.
❌ Сім разі́в відмі́ряєш, оди́н раз відрі́жеш.
Wrong mood — this is advice, so it needs the imperative, not the future tense.
✅ Сім разі́в відмі́ряй, оди́н раз відрі́ж.
'Measure seven times, cut once.'
A proverb gives a command; use the imperative відмі́ряй / відрі́ж, not the indicative future відмі́ряєш / відрі́жеш ('you will measure / you will cut').
❌ Одно́ раз відрі́ж.
Wrong gender — оди́н must agree with the masculine noun раз.
✅ Оди́н раз відрі́ж.
'Cut once.'
Оди́н is an adjective-like numeral and agrees in gender: оди́н раз (masculine), but одна́ хвили́на, одне́ сло́во.
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Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- The Imperative: FormationA1 — Ukrainian builds the imperative (наказо́вий спо́сіб) from the PRESENT stem. The 2sg takes -и (when stressed or after a cluster: пиши́!, неси́!), -й after a vowel (чита́й!, грай!), a soft -ь after one consonant (сядь!, будь!), or a bare consonant (роби́!). The 2pl/polite adds -те (чита́йте!, несі́ть!). There's a dedicated 1pl hortative in -мо (ході́мо! 'let's go', чита́ймо!) and a 3rd-person command with хай / неха́й (Хай іде́! 'let him go').
- 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!
- Numeral–Noun Agreement (The Hard Part)B1 — The notorious three-way rule: after 1 (and …1) the noun is nominative SINGULAR, after 2/3/4 (and …2/3/4) nominative PLURAL with the dual-reflex end-stress (два столи́, дві сестри́), and after 5+ genitive PLURAL — chosen by the LAST digit, and applying only when the whole phrase is nominative or inanimate-accusative.
- Genitive After Numbers and QuantityB1 — When numbers and quantity words trigger the genitive — numbers 5+ (and any number ending in 5–9 or 0) take the genitive PLURAL (п’ять столі́в, де́сять книг, сто гри́вень, два́дцять ро́ків), as do quantity words бага́то, ма́ло, кі́лька, скі́льки, тро́хи; fractions and полови́на/чверть take the genitive singular (полови́на я́блука) — all contrasted with the 2/3/4 rule that takes nominative plural, plus the suppletive рік→ро́ків and люди́на→люде́й you must drill as fixed combinations.
- Special Counted Forms (2/3/4 and Stress)B2 — After два/три/чотири a Ukrainian noun takes the NOMINATIVE PLURAL — not the Russian genitive singular — and crucially the stress often jumps to the ending and differs from the plain plural (два столи́, три си́ни, дві сестри́): a surviving reflex of the lost dual number, the most distinctively Ukrainian corner of the case system, with the adjective wavering between nominative plural and genitive plural (два нові́ / нови́х столи́).
- Aspect MistakesB1 — The top aspect errors all come from one habit: reaching for the perfective when the situation needs the imperfective. Habits, ongoing processes, and durations need the imperfective (щодня читаю, читав весь день); phase verbs need an imperfective infinitive (почав читати, not почав прочитати); general prohibitions need the imperfective imperative (Не роби!, not Не зроби!); and the perfective has NO 'буду'-future — its future is the simple прочитаю. This page collects the recurring aspect errors with the standard Ukrainian correction and the aspect reason for each.