Imperfective: прино́сити — "to bring (carrying it, on foot — habitually or in the process)" Perfective: принести́ — "to bring (once, the thing has arrived in your hands)" Type: prefixed motion pair, prefix при- 'bring toward / up to here' on the нести́ / носи́ти base
прино́сити / принести́ is the everyday verb for bringing a thing you carry: a book, a coffee, flowers, good news. It is built from the carrying base нести́ / носи́ти with the prefix при-, whose core meaning is arrival at the speaker's location — bring it here, into my space. The aspect split is the usual one for prefixed motion verbs: the imperfective прино́сити frames a habit or an unfinished process ("brings every morning," "is bringing"), while the perfective принести́ frames a single completed delivery ("brought it, it's here now"). The perfective past is the bare suppletive set прині́с / принесла́ / принесло́ / принесли́ — there is no -в on the masculine. Pick this verb only when the object is carried by hand: a person you escort is приве́сти, and cargo on wheels is привезти́. Stress is marked on every form below.
Present tense — imperfective прино́сити only (с→ш in the 1sg)
Only the imperfective has a present. прино́сити takes the носи́ти endings, with the consonant mutation с → ш in the 1sg прино́шу alone; every other person keeps plain -с-. Stress stays on the -но́- stem throughout — it does not move to the ending here.
| Person | прино́сити — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | прино́шу | I bring / am bringing |
| ти | прино́сиш | you bring (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | прино́сить | he / she / it brings |
| ми | прино́симо | we bring |
| ви | прино́сите | you bring (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | прино́сять | they bring |
Щора́нку листоно́ша прино́сить нам газе́ту до са́мих две́рей.
Every morning the postman brings us the newspaper right to the door. (3sg прино́сить — a daily habit, so imperfective.)
Я за́вжди прино́шу на зу́стрічі свій но́утбук — про всяк ви́падок.
I always bring my laptop to meetings, just in case. (1sg прино́шу, с→ш; a recurring habit.)
Ці кві́ти прино́сять у дім яки́йсь о́собливий за́пах весни́.
These flowers bring a special smell of spring into the house. (Figurative use; 3pl прино́сять.)
Past tense — imperfective прино́сив vs bare suppletive перфектив прині́с
The imperfective past прино́сив describes a repeated or ongoing bringing ("used to bring," "was bringing"). The perfective past is the bare suppletive set прині́с / принесла́ / принесло́ / принесли́ — note the masculine прині́с has no -в, and the stress jumps to the ending in every form except the masculine.
| Gender / number | прино́сити (impf.) | принести́ (pf.) — suppletive |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | прино́сив | прині́с |
| feminine | прино́сила | принесла́ |
| neuter | прино́сило | принесло́ |
| plural | прино́сили | принесли́ |
Я прині́с тобі́ ка́ву, поки́ ще гаря́ча — пий шви́дше.
I've brought you a coffee while it's still hot — drink it quickly. (Masculine прині́с, bare suppletive past; a single completed act.)
Вона́ принесла́ таку́ ра́дісну нови́ну, що ми одра́зу заспоко́їлися.
She brought such happy news that we calmed down right away. (Feminine принесла́ — end-stressed; one completed event.)
У дити́нстві ба́бця за́вжди прино́сила нам я́блука з садка́.
In childhood granny always used to bring us apples from the orchard. (Imperfective прино́сила — a repeated habit in the past.)
Future tense — perfective simple future + two imperfective futures
The perfective принести́ has a simple future built on the -нес- stem — and because perfectives have no present, this present-shaped form is its future. The stress sits on the ending throughout (принесу́, принесе́ш…). The imperfective builds two parallel futures for a future habit: the analytic бу́ду прино́сити and the synthetic прино́ситиму.
| Person | принести́ (pf.) — FUTURE | Analytic impf. | Synthetic impf. |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | принесу́ | бу́ду прино́сити | прино́ситиму |
| ти | принесе́ш | бу́деш прино́сити | прино́ситимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | принесе́ | бу́де прино́сити | прино́ситиме |
| ми | принесемо́ | бу́демо прино́сити | прино́ситимемо |
| ви | принесете́ | бу́дете прино́сити | прино́ситимете |
| вони́ | принесу́ть | бу́дуть прино́сити | прино́ситимуть |
Не хвилю́йся за обі́д — я принесу́ щось сма́чне з робо́ти.
Don't worry about lunch — I'll bring something tasty from work. (Perfective future принесу́ — one specific future delivery.)
Якщо́ хо́чеш, бу́ду прино́сити тобі́ сві́жі бу́лочки щора́нку.
If you like, I'll bring you fresh rolls every morning. (Imperfective future for a future habit — analytic бу́ду прино́сити.)
Imperative
The perfective принеси́ / принесі́ть orders a single delivery ("bring it"); the imperfective прино́сь / прино́сьте frames an ongoing or repeated request ("keep bringing").
| Addressee | принести́ (pf.) | прино́сити (impf.) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | принеси́ | прино́сь |
| ви (formal / plural) | принесі́ть | прино́сьте |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й принесе́ | хай / неха́й прино́сить |
Принеси́, будь ла́ска, скля́нку води́ — щось у го́рлі пересо́хло.
Bring me a glass of water, please — my throat's gone dry. (Perfective imperative принеси́ — a single request.)
Government — what the object and the recipient look like
1. Accusative object + dative recipient
The thing you bring is in the accusative; the person you bring it to is in the dative with no preposition: принести́ дру́гові (dat.) кни́гу (acc.) "bring a friend a book." This double-object pattern is exactly like English "bring someone something," but Ukrainian marks the roles with cases rather than word order. See dative uses.
Принеси́ ма́мі окуля́ри — вони́ на поли́ці у віта́льні.
Bring mum her glasses — they're on the shelf in the living room. (Dative recipient ма́мі, accusative object окуля́ри.)
2. Source with з + genitive
Where the thing comes from is marked з + genitive: принести́ з кра́мниці "bring from the shop," принести́ з робо́ти "bring from work."
Тато́ прині́с із база́ру по́вний ко́шик чере́шень.
Dad brought a full basket of cherries from the market. (Source із base + genitive; accusative object ко́шик.)
3. Abstract "bring" — luck, benefit, trouble
принести́ is also the natural verb for abstract things "brought": принести́ ща́стя "bring happiness," принести́ ко́ристь "be of use / bring benefit," принести́ збитки "cause losses."
Ця іде́я мо́же принести́ компа́нії вели́кий прибу́ток.
This idea could bring the company a large profit. (Abstract принести́ + dative компа́нії + accusative прибу́ток.)
A note for English speakers
English collapses three Ukrainian verbs into one word, bring: you bring a book, you bring a friend, you bring groceries by car. Ukrainian forces a choice based on how the thing travels. принести́ is strictly for what you carry in your hands. The moment a person walks in under their own power, you switch to приве́сти; the moment the load arrives on wheels, you switch to привезти́. There is no shortcut — this is a feature of the whole motion-verb system, and choosing the wrong one sounds as odd as saying "I drove him in my pocket." The other trap is aspect: English "I'll bring it tomorrow" maps to the perfective принесу́ (a single act), not the imperfective.
Common Mistakes
❌ Я приношу́ тобі́ пода́рунок за́втра.
Aspect + stress error — a single future delivery is perfective: Я принесу́ тобі́ пода́рунок за́втра. And note 1sg present is прино́шу (stem-stressed), not 'приношу́'.
✅ Я принесу́ тобі́ пода́рунок за́втра.
I'll bring you a present tomorrow.
❌ Він прині́св ка́ву.
The masculine perfective past is bare — прині́с, with no -в added: Він прині́с ка́ву.
✅ Він прині́с ка́ву.
He brought the coffee.
❌ Я прино́сю тобі́ обі́д щодня́.
Wrong 1sg — the с→ш mutation gives прино́шу, not 'прино́сю': Я прино́шу тобі́ обі́д щодня́.
✅ Я прино́шу тобі́ обі́д щодня́.
I bring you lunch every day.
❌ Принеси́ для ма́ми окуля́ри.
The recipient takes the bare dative, not 'для + genitive': Принеси́ ма́мі окуля́ри.
✅ Принеси́ ма́мі окуля́ри.
Bring mum her glasses.
❌ Принеси́ дру́га на вечі́рку.
A person you escort is приве́сти, not принести́ (which is for carried objects): Приведи́ дру́га на вечі́рку.
✅ Приведи́ дру́га на вечі́рку.
Bring a friend to the party.
Key Takeaways
- Aspect pair: imperfective прино́сити (habit / process) vs perfective принести́ (a single completed delivery).
- The prefix при- means "toward here" — which is why принести́ so naturally takes a dative recipient.
- Bare suppletive past: прині́с / принесла́ / принесло́ / принесли́ (masculine has no -в; stress on the ending elsewhere).
- 1sg mutation: прино́шу (с→ш), plain -с- elsewhere; stem-stressed throughout the present.
- Government: accusative object + dative recipient (принести́ дру́гові кни́гу); source з + genitive.
- Choose by mode of transport: carried → принести́; a walking person → приве́сти; on wheels → привезти́.
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- Prefixed Verbs of Motion: OverviewB1 — A directional prefix transforms a motion verb on two levels at once. On the UNIDIRECTIONAL stem it makes a PERFECTIVE (прийти́ 'arrive', ви́йти 'go out'); the SAME prefix on the MULTIDIRECTIONAL stem makes the matching IMPERFECTIVE (прихо́дити, вихо́дити). Each prefix has a consistent meaning across all motion verbs — при- arrive/toward, ви- out, за- drop by/behind, пере- across/relocate, до- reach, від- away, про- through/past, об- around, в-/у- in, з-/ді- down/off — so learning ~10 prefixes once unlocks all prefixed motion.
- Нести / Носити (to carry — uni/multi)B1 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for нести́ / носи́ти 'to carry' — a paired motion verb of transporting a load. Covers the unidirectional нести́ (несу́ / несе́ш / несе́ / несу́ть) with its bare suppletive past ніс / несла́ / несло́ / несли́, and the multidirectional носи́ти (ношу́ with с→ш, но́сиш / но́сить / но́сять) with the past носи́в / носи́ла. Notes that носи́ти also means 'to wear (clothes)', that the object is in the accusative (нести́ су́мку), and how the одно-/багатоспрямований split works for things you carry.
- Verb Reference: Приво́дити / Привести́ (to bring a person)B2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the prefixed motion pair приво́дити (imperfective) / привести́ (perfective) 'to bring (a person or animal, leading them on foot)'. Covers the present приво́джу / приво́диш… with the д→дж mutation in the 1sg, the bare suppletive past приві́в / привела́ / привело́ / привели́, the perfective future приведу́ / приведе́ш…, both imperfective futures, the imperative приведи́ / приведі́ть, the prefix при- 'toward here', accusative of the person or animal led (привести́ дру́га, соба́ку), the abstract привести́ до + genitive 'lead to / result in', and the contrast with приноси́ти 'bring an object' and привози́ти 'bring by vehicle'.
- Verb Reference: Приво́зити / Привезти́ (to bring by vehicle)B2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the prefixed motion pair приво́зити (imperfective) / привезти́ (perfective) 'to bring (cargo or a passenger by vehicle)'. Covers the present приво́жу / приво́зиш… with the з→ж mutation in the 1sg, the bare suppletive past приві́з / привезла́ / привезло́ / привезли́, the perfective future привезу́ / привезе́ш…, both imperfective futures, the imperative привези́ / привезі́ть, the prefix при- 'toward here', accusative cargo plus a dative recipient (привезти́ дру́гові пода́рунок), the instrumental of the vehicle, and the contrast with приноси́ти 'carry by hand' and приводи́ти 'lead a person on foot'.
- Dative: Core UsesA2 — Beyond the indirect object (дати книгу братові), the dative carries Ukrainian's whole experiencer system: the person who feels, needs, owns an age, or likes something becomes a dative while the verb goes impersonal — мені холодно 'I'm cold', мені двадцять років 'I'm twenty', мені треба йти 'I need to go', мені подобається кава 'I like coffee'.
- 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.