Infinitive (unidirectional / determinate): вести́ — "to lead / take (someone on foot, in one direction, right now)" Multidirectional / indeterminate twin: води́ти — "to lead (habitually, round-trip); also: to drive (a car)" Type: an imperfective pair of transitive motion — the "lead someone who walks" branch of the motion-verb system
вести́ / води́ти is "to lead / take" when you are guiding a person or animal who moves on their own feet — holding a child's hand to school, walking a dog, leading a group. It is the third member of the transport trio with везти́ / вози́ти "transport by vehicle" and нести́ / носи́ти "carry by hand," and the contrast between them is the heart of the page. Like every motion verb it splits into a determinate half (вести́ — one trip, one direction, now) and an indeterminate half (води́ти — there-and-back, habitual). Two features stand out: the determinate has a bare masculine past — вів ("he was leading"), and the indeterminate has the distinctive д → дж mutation in the 1sg: воджу́. The person/animal you lead stands in the accusative. And one high-frequency idiom lives here: води́ти маши́ну "to drive (a car)." Stress is marked on every form below.
Present tense — side by side
The two verbs conjugate differently. вести́ is a first-conjugation verb on the stem вед- with mobile stress — on the ending in веду́, on the stem-vowel in веде́ш / веде́ / ведемо́ / ведете́, back to the ending in веду́ть — and no mutation. води́ти is a second-conjugation -и-ти verb on the stem вод-, with the д → дж mutation in the 1sg only (воджу́, end-stressed) and stem-stress во́- everywhere else.
| Person | вести́ — determinate | води́ти — indeterminate |
|---|---|---|
| я | веду́ | воджу́ (д→дж!) |
| ти | веде́ш | во́диш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | веде́ | во́дить |
| ми | ведемо́ | во́димо |
| ви | ведете́ | во́дите |
| вони́ | веду́ть | во́дять |
The 1sg воджу́ is the form to over-learn: the stem-final д of вод- becomes the cluster дж before the ending, and the stress is on the -у́. This is the same д→дж mutation you see in ходи́ти → ходжу́ and сиді́ти → сиджу́. It hits only the 1sg; every other person keeps д (во́диш, во́дить, во́дять).
Я веду́ ба́бусю через доро́гу — тут жва́вий рух.
I'm walking my grandma across the road — the traffic's busy here. (Determinate веду́ — one crossing, right now; object ба́бусю in the accusative.)
Екскурсово́д веде́ гру́пу до головно́ї за́ли.
The guide is leading the group to the main hall. (Determinate веде́ — one ongoing walk, one direction.)
Я щора́нку воджу́ си́на до садка́.
Every morning I take my son to nursery. (Indeterminate воджу́ — habitual, there-and-back; note the д→дж mutation.)
Вони́ що́тижня во́дять соба́ку до ветерина́ра на проце́дури.
They take the dog to the vet every week for treatment. (Indeterminate во́дять — regular weekly round-trips.)
Past tense — the bare вів vs regular води́в
Here is the pair's signature feature. The unidirectional вести́ has a suppletive masculine past — вів ("he was leading"): it contracts to a single syllable instead of building on the present-tense вед- stem. The feminine, neuter and plural restore the вел- stem with end-stress: вела́ / вело́ / вели́ (note the д → л in the stem). The multidirectional води́ти is fully regular: води́в / води́ла…
| Gender / number | вести́ (determinate) | води́ти (indeterminate) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | вів | води́в |
| feminine | вела́ | води́ла |
| neuter | вело́ | води́ло |
| plural | вели́ | води́ли |
The split holds: вів / вела́ = one trip in progress (коли́ я вів дити́ну до лі́каря, поча́вся дощ "while I was taking the child to the doctor, it started to rain"); води́в / води́ла = used to take / round-trips (я ро́ками води́в його́ на пла́вання "I took him to swimming for years").
Він вів пса на по́відку, а той рва́вся до кота́.
He was walking the dog on a lead, and it kept lunging at the cat. (The bare masculine past вів — one walk in progress.)
Вона́ вела́ діте́й до шко́ли, тримаючи обо́х за ру́ки.
She was walking the children to school, holding both by the hand. (Feminine вела́ — note the вел- stem and end-stress; one trip.)
У ди́тинстві ба́тько води́в мене́ на ри́балку щонеді́лі.
As a child, my father used to take me fishing every Sunday. (Indeterminate води́в — habitual past round-trips.)
Future tense — both imperfective futures
Both вести́ and води́ти are imperfective, so each builds its future with бу́ду + infinitive or the synthetic -му form. For "I'll take them there once, done," Ukrainian uses a prefixed perfective like відвести́ "to take/drop off (there)" or привести́ "to bring (here)."
| Person | вести́: analytic / synthetic | води́ти: analytic / synthetic |
|---|---|---|
| я | бу́ду вести́ / вести́му | бу́ду води́ти / води́тиму |
| ти | бу́деш вести́ / вести́меш | бу́деш води́ти / води́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | бу́де вести́ / вести́ме | бу́де води́ти / води́тиме |
| ми | бу́демо вести́ / вести́мемо | бу́демо води́ти / води́тимемо |
| ви | бу́дете вести́ / вести́мете | бу́дете води́ти / води́тимете |
| вони́ | бу́дуть вести́ / вести́муть | бу́дуть води́ти / води́тимуть |
Цього́ ро́ку я бу́ду води́ти молоду́ кома́нду — тре́нер пішо́в.
This year I'll be coaching the young team — the trainer left. (Indeterminate future, figurative 'lead'; бу́ду води́ти.)
Imperative
| Addressee | вести́ (determinate) | води́ти (indeterminate) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | веди́ | води́ |
| ви (formal / plural) | веді́ть | воді́ть |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й веде́ | хай / неха́й во́дить |
Веди́ нас, ти ж зна́єш доро́гу до табору.
Lead the way, you're the one who knows the route to the camp. (Determinate imperative веди́ — one trip, one direction.)
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | вести́ / води́ти |
|---|---|
| verbal adverb (determinate) | ведучи́ "(while) leading (one way)" |
| verbal adverb (indeterminate) | во́дячи "(while) leading (around)" |
| related noun | во́дій "driver"; ведучи́й "host, presenter"; про́від "leadership" |
The verbal adverbs are (literary / written) — Ведучи́ коня́ за вузде́чку, він мовча́в "Leading the horse by the bridle, he said nothing." In speech a коли́-clause is the norm.
Key uses & case government
1. The object — accusative
The person or animal you lead stands in the accusative: вести́ дити́ну "lead a child," гру́пу "a group," коня́ "a horse." For the full picture, see accusative uses. The destination uses the usual directional marking: до + genitive (до шко́ли), на + accusative (на про́гулянку).
Меди́чна сестра́ веде́ паціє́нта до кабіне́ту на пе́рший по́верх.
The nurse is taking the patient to the office on the ground floor. (Accusative object паціє́нта.)
2. води́ти маши́ну — "to drive (a car)"
The single most common everyday use of води́ти is the idiom води́ти маши́ну / авто́ / автомобі́ль "to drive (a car)" — meaning to have the skill / to drive habitually. You almost always use the indeterminate here, because driving is treated as a general ability or repeated activity (я вмі́ю води́ти "I can drive," вона́ во́дить уже́ де́сять ро́ків "she's been driving for ten years"). The car is in the accusative.
Я навчи́вся води́ти маши́ну ще в шістна́дцять.
I learned to drive a car back at sixteen. (The idiom води́ти маши́ну — a general skill; indeterminate.)
Вона́ чудо́во во́дить, але́ не лю́бить далекі́ пої́здки.
She drives beautifully but doesn't like long trips. (води́ти used absolutely, no object — 'to drive (well)'.)
3. вести́ vs водити vs везти́ vs нести́ — feet, wheels, hands
The core contrast: вести́ = leading someone/something that walks on its own feet (вести́ дити́ну "lead a child"); везти́ = the same load on wheels / in a vehicle (везти́ дити́ну в коля́сці "take the child in a pram"); нести́ = a load in your hands (нести́ дити́ну на рука́х "carry the child in your arms"). How aspect interacts with the direction split across all of these is laid out under motion-aspect interaction.
Поки дити́на ма́ленька, ти її́ несе́ш; коли́ підро́сте — ведеш за ру́ку.
While the child is small, you carry her; when she's older, you lead her by the hand. (нести́ for hands vs вести́ for walking.)
4. Figurative вести́ — conduct, run, host
вести́ has a rich figurative life: вести́ перемо́вини "conduct negotiations," вести́ заня́ття "run a class," вести́ програ́му "host a show," вести́ щоде́нник "keep a diary." These all keep the accusative object.
Цю переда́чу багато ро́ків веде́ оди́н і той са́мий журналі́ст.
The same journalist has hosted this programme for many years. (Figurative веде́ програ́му — accusative переда́чу.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Я во́джу маши́ну вже п’ять ро́ків.
Stress error — the 1sg of води́ти is end-stressed воджу́, not *во́джу: Я воджу́ маши́ну вже п’ять ро́ків.
✅ Я воджу́ маши́ну вже п’ять ро́ків.
I've been driving for five years.
❌ Я везу́ дити́ну до шко́ли пішки́.
Wrong verb — leading someone on foot is вести́, not везти́ (which means by vehicle): Я веду́ дити́ну до шко́ли пішки́.
✅ Я веду́ дити́ну до шко́ли пішки́.
I'm walking the child to school.
❌ Він вед нас до табору.
Form error — the masculine past of вести́ is the suppletive вів (a single contracted syllable), not the bare present stem *вед: Він вів нас до табору.
✅ Він вів нас до табору.
He was leading us to the camp.
❌ Я ча́сто веду́ си́на на тренува́ння.
Wrong half — habitual, repeated trips are the indeterminate воджу́, not the determinate веду́: Я ча́сто воджу́ си́на на тренува́ння. (веду́ means one trip, right now.)
✅ Я ча́сто воджу́ си́на на тренува́ння.
I often take my son to practice.
❌ Вона́ вів дити́ну за ру́ку.
Agreement error — the past agrees with gender; a female subject takes вела́, not the masculine вів: Вона́ вела́ дити́ну за ру́ку.
✅ Вона́ вела́ дити́ну за ру́ку.
She was leading the child by the hand.
Key Takeaways
- The split mirrors іти́/ходи́ти: вести́ = one trip, one direction, now; води́ти = habitual / round-trip.
- вести́ present: веду́ / веде́ш / веде́ / ведемо́ / ведете́ / веду́ть — mobile stress, no mutation.
- води́ти present: воджу́ (д→дж, end-stress) / во́диш / во́дить / во́димо / во́дите / во́дять.
- Past: the bare masculine вів, then вела́ / вело́ / вели́ (вел- stem, end-stress); води́в / води́ла is fully regular.
- The driving idiom: води́ти маши́ну "to drive a car" — a general skill, so it uses the indeterminate.
- Government: the person/animal led is in the accusative (вести́ дити́ну); contrast feet (вести́) vs wheels (везти́) vs hands (нести́).
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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).