Infinitive (unidirectional): нести́ — "to carry (in hand, in one direction, right now)" Multidirectional twin: носи́ти — "to carry (back and forth, habitually); also: to wear (clothes)" Type: an imperfective pair of transitive motion — the "carry by hand" branch of the motion-verb system
нести́ / носи́ти is how you say "carry" when you are moving a load with your own body — in your arms, in a bag, on your back. It belongs to the same family as вести́ / води́ти "to lead (a person/animal)" and везти́ / вози́ти "to transport (by vehicle)," and like every Ukrainian motion verb it splits into a unidirectional half (нести́ — one trip, one direction, now) and a multidirectional half (носи́ти — there-and-back, habitual). Two features make this pair memorable. The unidirectional present has mobile stress (несу́ but несе́ш) and a striking bare masculine past — ніс (just three letters, "he carried"). And носи́ти carries a famous second meaning: "to wear" clothes (ношу́ окуля́ри "I wear glasses"). The object you carry stands in the accusative. Stress is marked on every form below.
Present tense — unidirectional нести́ (mobile stress)
нести́ has a present stem нес- with the first-conjugation endings, and the stress is mobile: it sits on the ending in несу́, but on the stem-vowel in несе́ш / несе́ / несемо́ / несете́, then back to the ending in несу́ть. There is no consonant mutation in нести́.
| Person | нести́ — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | несу́ | I carry / am carrying (now, one way) |
| ти | несе́ш | you carry (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | несе́ | he / she / it carries |
| ми | несемо́ | we carry |
| ви | несете́ | you carry (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | несу́ть | they carry |
Я несу́ ва́жку су́мку, допоможи́ мені́, будь ла́ска.
I'm carrying a heavy bag, please help me. (Unidirectional несу́ — one load, right now; object су́мку in the accusative.)
Диви́сь, мура́шка несе́ ли́сток уде́сятеро бі́льший за се́бе.
Look, an ant is carrying a leaf ten times bigger than itself. (несе́ — a single ongoing act of carrying.)
Куди́ ви несете́ ці коро́бки?
Where are you carrying those boxes? (несете́ — one specific direction, asked about a trip in progress.)
Present tense — multidirectional носи́ти (с → ш in the 1sg)
носи́ти is a second-conjugation -и́ти verb with stem нос-. The 1sg shows the regular с → ш mutation (ношу́), and the stress is mobile: it falls on the ending in ношу́ but on the stem-vowel но́- everywhere else (но́сиш, но́сить…).
| Person | носи́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | ношу́ | I carry (around) / wear |
| ти | но́сиш | you carry / wear (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | но́сить | he / she / it carries / wears |
| ми | но́симо | we carry / wear |
| ви | но́сите | you carry / wear (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | но́сять | they carry / wear |
носи́ти covers three things: repeated carrying (back-and-forth trips), habitual carrying ("she carries her notes everywhere"), and the idiom "to wear" clothing or accessories.
Уве́сь день він но́сить це́глу з одного́ кінця́ двору́ в і́нший.
All day he carries bricks from one end of the yard to the other. (Repeated back-and-forth — multidirectional но́сить.)
Я вже кі́лька ро́ків ношу́ окуля́ри для читання́.
I've worn reading glasses for a few years now. (The 'wear' idiom — ношу́, with the с→ш mutation.)
Вона́ за́вжди но́сить із собо́ю парасо́льку — про всяк випа́док.
She always carries an umbrella with her — just in case. (Habitual carrying — но́сить.)
Past tense — the bare ніс vs regular носи́в
Here is the pair's signature feature. The unidirectional нести́ has a suppletive-looking, bare masculine past: ніс — the -е- of the stem becomes -і- and the masculine takes no -в, giving a single syllable "he carried." The feminine, neuter and plural restore the нес- stem with end-stress: несла́ / несло́ / несли́. The multidirectional носи́ти is perfectly regular: носи́в / носи́ла…
| Gender / number | нести́ (unidirectional) | носи́ти (multidirectional) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | ніс | носи́в |
| feminine | несла́ | носи́ла |
| neuter | несло́ | носи́ло |
| plural | несли́ | носи́ли |
Він ніс додо́му ці́лий буке́т, коли́ ми його́ зустрі́ли.
He was carrying home a whole bouquet when we met him. (The bare masculine past ніс — one trip in progress.)
Вона́ несла́ дити́ну на рука́х, бо та засну́ла.
She was carrying the child in her arms because it had fallen asleep. (Feminine несла́ — note the restored нес- stem and end-stress.)
У ди́тинстві я носи́в окуля́ри з товсте́нними скельця́ми.
As a child I wore glasses with very thick lenses. (носи́в — the regular multidirectional/'wear' past.)
Future tense — both imperfective futures
Both нести́ and носи́ти are imperfective, so each builds its future with бу́ду + infinitive or the synthetic -му form. (For "I'll carry it there once, done," you reach for a prefixed perfective instead — see the cross-links below.)
| Person | нести́: analytic / synthetic | носи́ти: analytic / synthetic |
|---|---|---|
| я | бу́ду нести́ / нести́му | бу́ду носи́ти / носи́тиму |
| ти | бу́деш нести́ / нести́меш | бу́деш носи́ти / носи́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | бу́де нести́ / нести́ме | бу́де носи́ти / носи́тиме |
| ми | бу́демо нести́ / нести́мемо | бу́демо носи́ти / носи́тимемо |
| ви | бу́дете нести́ / нести́мете | бу́дете носи́ти / носи́тимете |
| вони́ | бу́дуть нести́ / нести́муть | бу́дуть носи́ти / носи́тимуть |
Цьо́го сезо́ну всі бу́дуть носи́ти широ́кі штани́.
This season everyone will be wearing wide trousers. (Habitual future in the 'wear' sense — бу́дуть носи́ти.)
Imperative
| Addressee | нести́ | носи́ти |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | неси́ | носи́ |
| ви (formal / plural) | несі́ть | носі́ть |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й несе́ | хай / неха́й но́сить |
Неси́ су́мки на ку́хню, я зара́з підійду́.
Carry the bags to the kitchen, I'll be right there. (Unidirectional imperative неси́ — one trip, one direction.)
Носі́ть ша́пку, на ву́лиці моро́з!
Wear a hat, it's freezing outside! (The 'wear' imperative носі́ть — repeated/habitual.)
Verbal adverbs
| Form | Verb |
|---|---|
| verbal adverb (нести́) | несу́чи "(while) carrying" |
| verbal adverb (носи́ти) | но́сячи "(while) carrying around / wearing" |
несу́чи is (literary / written) — Несу́чи важке́ ві́дро, вона́ спіткну́лася "Carrying the heavy bucket, she stumbled." In speech a коли́-clause is the norm.
Key uses & case government
1. The object — accusative
What you carry stands in the accusative, the case of the direct object: нести́ су́мку "carry a bag," дити́ну "a child," кни́жки "books." For the full accusative-object picture, see accusative uses.
Офіція́нт несе́ та́цю з ке́лихами обере́жно, щоб нічого́ не розли́ти.
The waiter is carrying a tray of glasses carefully so as not to spill anything. (Accusative object та́цю.)
2. нести́ vs носи́ти — one trip vs round trips (and 'wear')
This is the heart of the pair, and it mirrors the іти́ vs ходи́ти split for going on foot. нести́ = a single load moving one way, right now. носи́ти = repeated, back-and-forth or habitual carrying — and the fixed sense "to wear" clothes. The way aspect and direction interact across the motion verbs is laid out under motion-aspect interaction.
Зазвича́й я ношу́ ноутбу́к у рюкзаку́, але́ сього́дні несу́ його́ в руці́.
I usually carry my laptop in a backpack, but today I'm carrying it in my hand. (Habitual ношу́ vs single, current несу́ — the whole split in one sentence.)
3. Figurative нести́ — bear, bring, lay (eggs)
нести́ has rich figurative uses: нести́ відповіда́льність "to bear responsibility," нести́ втра́ти "to suffer losses," and — of hens — нести́ я́йця "to lay eggs." These keep the accusative object.
Ко́жен із нас несе́ відповіда́льність за свої́ рі́шення.
Each of us bears responsibility for our own decisions. (Figurative нести́ відповіда́льність — accusative відповіда́льність.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Він ніс окуля́ри щодня́ до робо́ти.
Wrong half of the pair — habitual/'wear' is носи́ти, not the one-trip нести́: Він носи́в окуля́ри (or, for daily carrying, носи́в із собо́ю).
✅ Він носи́в окуля́ри щодня́.
He wore glasses every day.
❌ Я но́шу су́мку додо́му пря́мо за́раз.
Wrong half and wrong stress — a single trip right now is нести́: Я несу́ су́мку додо́му за́раз. (носи́ти is for repeated trips, and its 1sg is end-stressed ношу́.)
✅ Я несу́ су́мку додо́му за́раз.
I'm carrying the bag home right now.
❌ Він ніів важки́й мішо́к.
Form error — the masculine past of нести́ is the bare ніс (one syllable), not *ніів: Він ніс важки́й мішо́к.
✅ Він ніс важки́й мішо́к.
He was carrying a heavy sack.
❌ Я но́сю окуля́ри.
Mutation error — the 1sg of носи́ти shows с→ш and end-stress: ношу́, not *но́сю: Я ношу́ окуля́ри.
✅ Я ношу́ окуля́ри.
I wear glasses.
❌ Вона́ ніс дити́ну на рука́х.
Agreement error — the past agrees with gender; a female subject takes несла́, not the masculine ніс: Вона́ несла́ дити́ну на рука́х.
✅ Вона́ несла́ дити́ну на рука́х.
She was carrying the child in her arms.
Key Takeaways
- нести́ = carry one load, one way, now; носи́ти = carry repeatedly / back-and-forth — and 'to wear' clothes.
- нести́ present: несу́ / несе́ш / несе́ / несемо́ / несете́ / несу́ть — mobile stress, no mutation.
- носи́ти present: ношу́ (с→ш, end-stress) / но́сиш / но́сить / но́симо / но́сите / но́сять.
- Past: the bare masculine ніс (one syllable), then несла́ / несло́ / несли́; носи́в / носи́ла is fully regular.
- Future: both are imperfective → бу́ду + infinitive or the -му form; for a completed single carry, use a prefixed perfective.
- Government: the object is in the accusative (нести́ су́мку); figurative нести́ відповіда́льність / нести́ я́йця keep it.
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- Verb Reference: Вести / Водити (to lead / drive — uni/multi)B1 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the motion pair вести́ / води́ти 'to lead (a person/animal) / to drive (a car)'. Covers the unidirectional вести́ (веду́ / веде́ш / веде́ / веду́ть) with its bare suppletive past вів / вела́, and the multidirectional води́ти (воджу́ with д→дж, во́диш, past води́в). Explains determinate vs indeterminate, the accusative object (вести́ дити́ну), the everyday idiom води́ти маши́ну 'to drive', the bare past вів, the contrast with везти́/вози́ти and нести́/носи́ти, and the errors English speakers make with aspect, mutation, and case.
- Verb Reference: Везти / Возити (to transport — uni/multi)B1 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the motion pair везти́ / вози́ти 'to transport (by vehicle)'. Covers the unidirectional везти́ (везу́ / везе́ш / везе́ / везу́ть) with its bare suppletive past віз / везла́, and the multidirectional вози́ти (вожу́ with з→ж, во́зиш, past вози́в). Explains determinate (one trip, now) vs indeterminate (habitual / round-trip), the accusative of cargo and the instrumental of vehicle, the contrast with нести́ (carry by hand) and вести́ (lead a person), the bare past віз, and the errors English speakers make with aspect, mutation, and case.
- Other Motion Pairs (Летіти/Літати, Нести/Носити, Везти/Возити)B1 — The same unidirectional/multidirectional logic extends beyond go-on-foot and go-by-vehicle: fly (леті́ти/літа́ти), run (бі́гти/бі́гати), swim (пливти́/пла́вати), plus the transitive carry-triple — нести́/носи́ти (carry in hands), ве́зти/вози́ти (transport by vehicle), вести́/води́ти (lead). Two idioms to lock in: носи́ти = 'to wear' (ношу́ окуля́ри) and води́ти маши́ну = 'to drive' (skill). General ability and generic statements take the MULTIdirectional (Я вмі́ю пла́вати; Пта́хи літа́ють).
- Іти vs Ходити (Go on Foot)A2 — The foot-motion pair. ІТИ́ (іду́, іде́ш; past ішо́в/йшов, ішла́) = ONE trip in one direction, now or planned: Я йду́ в шко́лу. ХОДИ́ТИ (хо́джу, хо́диш; past ходи́в, ходи́ла) = habitual/repeated, round-trip, or 'be able to walk': Я хо́джу до шко́ли щодня́; Дити́на вже хо́дить. Past subtlety: ходи́в = went and came back; ішо́в/йшов = was on the way.
- Aspect and Verbs of MotionB2 — Motion verbs add a second axis to aspect. Unprefixed, they split into unidirectional (іти́, ї́хати) and multidirectional (ходи́ти, ї́здити) — and BOTH are imperfective. But a directional prefix reshuffles everything: that prefix on the unidirectional stem yields a PERFECTIVE (прийти́ 'arrive', піти́ 'set off'), while the SAME prefix on the multidirectional stem yields its IMPERFECTIVE partner (прихо́дити). So прийти́ (perf) / прихо́дити (impf) are an aspect pair — 'he arrives every day' is прихо́дить, 'he arrived' is прийшо́в. This two-layer system (direction + aspect) is the hardest thing in the motion system.
- Accusative: Uses Beyond the Direct ObjectB1 — The accusative does more than mark the object — with в/у, на, за, під, через it marks motion TOWARD a target (іду в школу), it expresses bare-preposition duration (чекав годину 'waited an hour'), and it stands in a pivotal contrast with the locative: the same prepositions в/у and на take the accusative for direction (куди? в школу) but the locative for static location (де? в школі).