Some proverbs are little grammar machines, and «Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння» is one of the cleanest in Ukrainian: four words, no verb at all, and yet it locks in a structure that learners find slippery — the яке́…таке́ correlative ("such a root, such a seed") with full neuter agreement, and the collective -ння noun that swallows a whole class of things into one grammatical singular. A parent uses it to explain a child's character; you can use it to remember the frame.
The proverb
Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
As the root, so the seed. (≈ Like parents, like children; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.)
Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
What sort [of] root, such [is] also the seed.
This is traditional folk material (наро́дне прислі́в’я), public-domain. The sense is fixed: children turn out like their parents, for good or ill — the seed carries whatever was in the root. Ukrainian has a whole nest of synonyms built on the same frame: «Яки́й ба́тько, таки́й син», «Яке́ де́рево, такі́ й кві́ти». English reaches for "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" or "like father, like son," but note the Ukrainian image is botanical and morally neutral — it fits a gifted child as easily as a wayward one.
Word by word
| Word | What it is | Literal sense |
|---|---|---|
| яке́ | relative/correlative adjective-pronoun, neuter nominative sg | "what kind of / such a" |
| корі́ння | collective noun, neuter nominative sg (-ння) | "roots (as a mass), root system" |
| таке́ | demonstrative adjective-pronoun, neuter nominative sg | "such / that kind" |
| й | emphatic/additive particle (= і) | "also, likewise, too" |
| насі́ння | collective noun, neuter nominative sg (-ння) | "seed(s), the seed (as a mass)" |
Five words, two clauses, and not a single conjugated verb — every word is doing structural work worth slowing down over.
The grammar
яке́… таке́ — the correlative of quality
The backbone is the pair яке́… таке́. яки́й asks (or here, relativises) what quality a thing has; таки́й answers that quality. Put them in matched clauses and you get "of whatever sort X is, of that same sort Y is." This яки́й… таки́й… frame is the standard Ukrainian way to chain two things by a shared quality — it is the structural cousin of хто… той… ("whoever… that one…"), but about kind rather than identity. Crucially, both members are full adjectives: they must agree in gender, number, and case with their noun. Here both nouns are neuter singular, so both pronouns wear the neuter -е ending: яке́ корі́ння, таке́ насі́ння. Change the noun and the endings change with it.
Яки́й ба́тько, таки́й і син.
Like father, like son. (masculine: який…такий, agreeing with батько/син)
Яка́ голова́, така́ й розмо́ва.
As the head, so the talk. (feminine: яка…така, agreeing with голова/розмова)
Які́ госпо́дарі, такі́ й го́сті.
As the hosts, so the guests. (plural: які…такі)
The deeper logic: яке́ and таке́ are not frozen forms. They are the neuter of an ordinary agreeing adjective, and the proverb only looks fixed because корі́ння and насі́ння happen to be neuter. For the full this/that/such system, see Such, This, That — A Deep Dive and Agreement.
корі́ння / насі́ння — the collective -ння neuter
Both nouns are collective neuters in -ння: корі́ння is not "a root" but the roots taken together, the root mass; насі́ння is not "a seed" but seed in general, the seed mass. Ukrainian has a productive class of these singular-but-plural-in-meaning collectives — листя ("foliage, the leaves"), гілля ("branches"), колосся ("ears of grain"), волосся ("hair") — almost all neuter, almost all in -я/-ння, and grammatically singular. You say корі́ння глибо́ке ("the roots [are] deep"), with a singular neuter adjective, even though many roots are meant. This is why the doubled -ння in the proverb is so satisfying: two collectives, both neuter singular, rhyming.
Корі́ння цьо́го де́рева сяга́є води́.
This tree's roots reach the water. (корі́ння = singular collective; verb сягає is singular)
Восени́ ли́стя жовті́є й опада́є.
In autumn the leaves turn yellow and fall. (ли́стя = collective neuter, singular agreement)
Я купи́ла насі́ння соня́шника на горо́д.
I bought sunflower seed for the vegetable garden. (насіння = mass noun, no plural needed)
The contrast with English is sharp: English forces a count plural ("the leaves are…"), Ukrainian prefers one collective singular ("the foliage is…"). For the class as a whole, see Collective Nouns.
The missing verb — ellipsis of the copula
There is no verb in the proverb. The link "is/are" between корі́ння and таке́ насі́ння is simply not spoken. Modern Ukrainian has no present-tense form of "to be" in ordinary equational sentences — where English says "the root is X," Ukrainian says nothing at all and lets the two nominatives sit side by side: «Яке́ корі́ння — таке́ й насі́ння» = "[whatever] the root [is], such [is] also the seed." A dash often marks the gap in writing. This zero-copula is the everyday rule, not a poetic licence; restoring an explicit verb would sound wrong.
Він лі́кар, а вона́ вчи́телька.
He's a doctor and she's a teacher. (no 'is' — two nominatives, copula dropped)
Яка́ робо́та, така́ й платня́.
As the work, so the pay. (zero copula in both clauses)
For the empty present and when "to be" does reappear, see The Present of Бути; for the gapping that lets the second clause omit the repeated material, see Ellipsis and Gapping.
й — the additive particle that ties the halves
The little й (a phonetic variant of і used after a vowel) is not "and" joining two clauses — it is an additive/emphatic particle meaning "also, likewise": "such too is the seed." It quietly insists that the second half matches the first: not just a seed, but correspondingly such a seed. Ukrainian sprinkles і/й in exactly this slot — after the correlative — to seal the parallel. Drop it and the proverb still parses, but loses its click; the й is what makes таке́ й насі́ння feel inevitable. The choice of й over і is pure euphony: насі́ння opens on a consonant, корі́ння ends in a vowel, so й keeps the line smooth.
Яка́ пого́да, таки́й і на́стрій.
As the weather, so the mood too. (і after a consonant; particle = 'likewise')
Він і не зна́в про це.
He didn't even know about it. (й/і as emphatic particle, not 'and')
Why the present-less, verb-less form fits a gnomic truth
The proverb states a timeless generalisation (a gnomic statement) — it is not about one root or one moment but about how the world always works. The verbless, copula-free form is perfect for this: with no tense marked anywhere, nothing pins the saying to past, present, or future. It floats free, eternally true. This is why so many Ukrainian proverbs are nominal (verbless) sentences: removing the verb removes time, and a proverb wants to be true at all times.
Яки́й приві́т, така́ й відповідь — ка́жуть у нас, коли́ хтось хами́ть.
'As the greeting, so the reply,' we say when someone is rude. (gnomic, verbless; feminine відповідь forces така́)
When you'd actually say it
You reach for «Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння» when a child's behaviour — gifted or troublesome — is being traced to the parents.
— Він таки́й же впе́ртий, як ба́тько. — Ну, яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
'He's just as stubborn as his father.' 'Well — like parents, like children.'
Диви́сь, як гарне́нько співа́є — уся́ роди́на музика́нти. Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
Look how nicely she sings — the whole family are musicians. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Glossary
| Word | Form / note | Everyday equivalent / contrast |
|---|---|---|
| яке́ | neuter nom sg of яки́й (correlative) | changes for gender: яки́й / яка́ / які́ |
| корі́ння | collective neuter sg, "root mass" | count noun = ко́рінь (one root), pl ко́рені |
| таке́ | neuter nom sg of таки́й (demonstrative) | changes for gender: таки́й / така́ / такі́ |
| й | additive particle (= і after vowel) | "also, likewise" — not "and" here |
| насі́ння | collective neuter sg, "seed mass" | count noun = насі́нина (one seed) |
Common Mistakes
❌ Яки́й корі́ння, таки́й насі́ння.
Incorrect — корі́ння and насі́ння are neuter, so the correlatives must be neuter: яке́… таке́.
✅ Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
As the root, so the seed. (neuter agreement яке́…таке́)
❌ Корі́ння цьо́го де́рева глибо́кі.
Incorrect — корі́ння is a singular collective; the adjective must be singular neuter: глибо́ке.
✅ Корі́ння цьо́го де́рева глибо́ке.
This tree's roots are deep. (singular collective agreement)
❌ Яке́ корі́ння є, таке́ є й насі́ння.
Unnatural — Ukrainian drops the present copula; don't insert 'є' in a plain equational sentence.
✅ Яке́ корі́ння, таке́ й насі́ння.
As the root, so the seed. (zero copula)
❌ Я посади́в багато́ насі́нь.
Incorrect — насі́ння is a mass collective; for a plural use насі́нини or rephrase, not 'насінь'.
✅ Я посади́в бага́то насі́ння.
I planted a lot of seed. (mass noun, genitive after багато)
Now practice Ukrainian
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Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- Цей, Той, Такий, Стільки in UseB1 — A working-level deep dive into the demonstrative family: цей/той fully declined in context (у цьо́му мі́сті, з тим чолові́ком, про ці кни́ги), такий 'such/so' agreeing through its forms, сті́льки + genitive, and the той самий / такий самий 'the same' and не той 'the wrong one' constructions — one small group of words that covers what English spreads across such, so, same, and wrong.
- Collective and Mass NounsB2 — Ukrainian has a productive class of collective nouns that name a group as one singular mass — the -ство abstracts (студе́нтство, лю́дство), -ня kin-words (рідня́), and especially the neuter -я collectives (ли́стя 'foliage', камі́ння 'stones', воло́сся 'hair', гілля́ 'branches'), most with a lengthened consonant — all grammatically singular, so 'the leaves are falling' is ли́стя па́дає with a singular verb, clashing with the English plural instinct.
- Ellipsis and Omission in SentencesB2 — Ukrainian routinely leaves out words that English must say: the present-tense copula (Він лі́кар 'he is a doctor'), subject pronouns (Чита́ю 'I'm reading'), and a repeated verb under coordination — where a dash then stands in for the gap (Я люблю́ ка́ву, а він — чай) — so recognising these systematic omissions is essential to both parsing and natural production.
- The Present of Бути (and the Missing Copula)A1 — Ukrainian normally has NO present-tense 'to be': Він студе́нт 'he is a student', Я вдо́ма 'I'm home' — the copula simply disappears, often replaced in writing by a dash (Київ — столи́ця). The single present form є exists for all persons but is used sparingly: for existence and possession (У ме́не є час 'I have time'), for emphasis or formal definitions (Украї́на є незале́жною держа́вою), and it negates to нема́є + genitive (нема́є ча́су). Inserting є everywhere is a beginner error; forgetting it in 'у ме́не є…' is the opposite error.
- Agreement: Subject–Verb, Adjective–NounA2 — How Ukrainian forces words to match: present/future verbs agree with the subject in person and number, but PAST verbs agree in gender and number (not person); and everything modifying a noun — adjectives, possessives, demonstratives — agrees in gender, number, AND case at once.
- Proverb: «Як дбаєш, так і маєш»A2 — A close reading of 'you reap what you sow' — the як…так і correlative pair, the generalized 2nd-person present, and the gnomic present tense.