Infinitive (imperfective): чека́ти — "to wait, to wait for, to expect" Perfective partners: зачека́ти / почека́ти — "to wait (a while), to wait a bit" Type: regular first-conjugation -а- verb; governs на + accusative OR the bare genitive
чека́ти is the everyday verb for waiting, and its conjugation could not be simpler — it is a model regular -а- verb (чека́ю, чека́єш…), with no stem changes and no consonant mutation anywhere. The one thing that actually has to be learned is its government: in modern Ukrainian you wait чека́ти на + accusative (чека́ти на по́їзд), and this prepositional pattern has overtaken the older bare genitive (чека́ти по́їзда) in everyday speech. English buries the object behind "for"; Ukrainian uses на, and putting nothing there at all is the classic learner slip. Stress is marked on every form below.
Present tense — regular first conjugation
A textbook -а- verb. The stem ends in -а-, so the present markers surface as -ю / -єш / -є…, stressed on the stem-final -а́- throughout. No mutation, no surprises.
| Person | чека́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | чека́ю | I wait / am waiting |
| ти | чека́єш | you wait (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | чека́є | he / she / it waits |
| ми | чека́ємо | we wait |
| ви | чека́єте | you wait (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | чека́ють | they wait |
Я чека́ю на тебе́ вже пів годи́ни.
I've been waiting for you for half an hour. (чека́ти на + accusative тебе́.)
Ми чека́ємо на результа́ти ана́лізів.
We're waiting for the test results. (чека́ємо на + accusative результа́ти.)
Чого́ ти чека́єш? Заходь!
What are you waiting for? Come in! (Bare genitive чого́ — fixed in this set question.)
Past tense — gendered (чека́в…)
A regular gendered past in -в / -ла / -ло / -ли, agreeing with the subject. Stress stays on the stem-final -а́- in every form.
| Gender / number | чека́ти (impf) | зачека́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | чека́в | зачека́в |
| feminine | чека́ла | зачека́ла |
| neuter | чека́ло | зачека́ло |
| plural | чека́ли | зачека́ли |
The imperfective past is the default ("was waiting / waited"); the perfective зачека́в reports a bounded wait that came to an end ("waited a while and then…").
Я чека́в на ваш дзвіно́к ці́лий день.
I waited for your call all day. (Imperfective process — чека́в на + accusative.)
Вона́ зачека́ла, по́ки всі ви́йдуть, і зачини́ла две́рі.
She waited until everyone had left and closed the door. (Perfective bounded wait — зачека́ла.)
Future tense
Perfective зачека́ти / почека́ти — the simple future
The perfective's present-form is its future — "I'll wait (a bit)." Both prefixes mean the same thoughtful, short wait; за- is slightly the more common.
| Person | зачека́ти — FUTURE | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | зачека́ю | I'll wait |
| ти | зачека́єш | you'll wait |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | зачека́є | he / she / it will wait |
| ми | зачека́ємо | we'll wait |
| ви | зачека́єте | you'll wait |
| вони́ | зачека́ють | they'll wait |
Зачека́ю ще п’ять хвили́н і піду́.
I'll wait another five minutes and then go. (Perfective bounded future зачека́ю.)
Imperfective чека́ти — both compound futures
The imperfective forms its future analytically (бу́ду + infinitive) or synthetically (-му), both for an open-ended future wait.
| Person | Analytic (бу́ду + inf.) | Synthetic (-му) |
|---|---|---|
| я | бу́ду чека́ти | чека́тиму |
| ти | бу́деш чека́ти | чека́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | бу́де чека́ти | чека́тиме |
| ми | бу́демо чека́ти | чека́тимемо |
| ви | бу́дете чека́ти | чека́тимете |
| вони́ | бу́дуть чека́ти | чека́тимуть |
Я чека́тиму на тебе́ біля вхо́ду.
I'll be waiting for you by the entrance. (Synthetic imperfective future чека́тиму — an open-ended wait.)
Imperative
The everyday "wait!" is overwhelmingly the perfective Зачека́й! / Почека́й! — a polite, short request to hold on. The bare imperfective чека́й is also common and a shade more like "keep waiting / hang on."
| Addressee | чека́ти (impf) | зачека́ти (pf) |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | чека́й | зачека́й / почека́й |
| ви (formal / plural) | чека́йте | зачека́йте / почека́йте |
| 3rd person (let…) | хай / неха́й чека́є | хай / неха́й зачека́є |
Зачека́й, я зара́з ви́йду!
Wait, I'm coming out in a second! (Perfective imperative — the everyday 'hold on'.)
Чека́йте на мене́ тут, я ско́ро поверну́ся.
Wait for me here, I'll be back soon. (Imperfective imperative чека́йте + на + accusative мене́.)
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | чека́ти / зачека́ти |
|---|---|
| imperfective verbal adverb | чека́ючи "(while) waiting" |
| perfective verbal adverb | зачека́вши "having waited" |
чека́ючи is genuinely common in speech — чека́ючи на по́їзд, я чита́в "while waiting for the train, I read." The perfective зачека́вши is (literary / written).
Key uses & case government
1. чека́ти на + accusative — the modern default
For "wait for X," the dominant pattern is чека́ти на + accusative: чека́ти на по́їзд, на дру́га, на ві́дповідь. This is the form to use in conversation, and it sits in the wider prepositional government system.
Не чека́й на мене́, я затри́маюся на робо́ті.
Don't wait for me, I'll be late at work. (чека́ти на + accusative мене́.)
2. чека́ти + genitive — the bare-case alternative
The older construction governs a bare genitive with no preposition: чека́ти по́їзда, ві́дповіді, на́годи "wait for the train / an answer / a chance." It is fully correct, slightly more formal or literary, and especially common with abstract nouns. The choice between the two patterns parallels the wider genitive-vs-accusative object question.
Він терпля́че чека́в свого́ ча́су.
He patiently bided his time. (Bare genitive свого́ ча́су — set, literary flavour.)
3. Synonyms жда́ти / дожида́ти
жда́ти (жду, ждеш, жде…) is a close synonym, common in poetry, songs and folk speech; дожида́ти (дожида́ю…) leans (regional / colloquial). In neutral modern prose, чека́ти is the unmarked choice; reserve жда́ти for set phrases (хто жде, той дожде́ться "all things come to those who wait") and the elevated register.
Чого́ ждеш? Дава́й уже́ почина́ти!
What are you waiting for? Let's get started! (Colloquial/literary synonym ждеш.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Я чека́ю авто́бус.
Government error — don't leave the object in the bare accusative. Use чека́ти на + accusative (чека́ю на авто́бус) or the bare GENITIVE (чека́ю авто́буса).
✅ Я чека́ю на авто́бус.
I'm waiting for the bus.
❌ Я чека́ю для тебе́.
Wrong preposition — 'wait for' is не для, а на: чека́ю на тебе́. (для = 'for the benefit of', not 'await'.)
✅ Я чека́ю на тебе́.
I'm waiting for you.
❌ За́втра я бу́ду зачека́ти на по́їзд.
Aspect/future error — the perfective зачека́ти already IS its own future; don't combine it with бу́ду: За́втра я зачека́ю / бу́ду чека́ти на по́їзд.
✅ За́втра я бу́ду чека́ти на по́їзд.
Tomorrow I'll be waiting for the train.
❌ Зачека́йся хвили́ну!
Don't add -ся — чека́ти is not reflexive. The imperative is simply Зачека́й / Зачека́йте хвили́нку!
✅ Зачека́й хвили́нку!
Wait a moment!
❌ Вона́ чека́в дзвінка́.
Agreement error — the past agrees with gender; a female subject takes чека́ла: Вона́ чека́ла на дзвіно́к / дзвінка́.
✅ Вона́ чека́ла на дзвіно́к.
She was waiting for the call.
Key Takeaways
- Conjugation is regular — чека́ю / чека́єш / чека́є / чека́ємо / чека́єте / чека́ють; no stem change, no mutation.
- Past: чека́в / чека́ла / чека́ло / чека́ли — gendered, stem-stressed throughout.
- Government: чека́ти на + accusative (the modern default) OR bare genitive (чека́ти по́їзда, more formal). Never leave the object unmarked.
- Future: perfective зачека́ю/почека́ю "I'll wait a bit"; imperfective бу́ду чека́ти / чека́тиму for an open-ended future wait.
- Imperative: the everyday "wait!" is the perfective Зачека́й! / Зачека́йте!; imperfective чека́й for "keep waiting."
- Synonyms: жда́ти (literary/song), дожида́ти (regional); чека́ти is the neutral modern word.
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