Ukrainian gives you two completely different grammars for the single English idea "to have." One is the verb ма́ти "to have," which works like its English counterpart and takes an accusative object: Я ма́ю маши́ну "I have a car." The other is a possessive construction with no "have" verb at all: У ме́не є маши́на, literally "at me there is a car," where the thing owned stands in the nominative. Both are correct, but they are not interchangeable in feel: the у ме́не є construction is the everyday default for concrete "I have," while ма́ти is slightly more bookish, carries the extra meaning of obligation, and lives on in a set of fixed idioms. This page sorts out which to use when, and the one rule that unites them: both go to the genitive when negated.
ма́ти — the verb "to have" + accusative
Ма́ти is a regular conjugating verb. Its object goes in the accusative, exactly as a direct object would.
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | ма́ю | I have |
| ти | ма́єш | you have (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | ма́є | he / she / it has |
| ми | ма́ємо | we have |
| ви | ма́єте | you have (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | ма́ють | they have |
Я ма́ю ста́ршого бра́та й моло́дшу сестру́.
I have an older brother and a younger sister.
Ви ма́єте хвили́нку? Хо́чу де́що запита́ти.
Do you have a minute? I'd like to ask something.
На жаль, ми не ма́ємо ча́су на дета́льну розмо́ву.
Unfortunately we don't have time for a detailed conversation.
Ма́ти is favoured in written and formal Ukrainian, in headings and definitions, and where you want a touch of emphasis. In casual speech, though, native speakers more often use the у ме́не є construction below for ordinary "I have a…" statements.
У + genitive + є — the possessive construction
The most idiomatic everyday way to say "X has Y" is built with the preposition у (or в), the possessor in the genitive, the verb є "there is," and the thing owned in the nominative. Literally: "at-me there-is a-car."
| Possessor | Construction | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | У ме́не є… | I have… |
| ти | У те́бе є… | you have… |
| він | У ньо́го є… | he has… |
| вона́ | У не́ї є… | she has… |
| ми | У нас є… | we have… |
| ви | У вас є… | you have… |
| вони́ | У них є… | they have… |
The owned thing is the grammatical subject here, so it is in the nominative: У ме́не є маши́на (nom.), not *маши́ну.
У ме́не є маши́на, тож можу́ підки́нути тебе́ додо́му.
I have a car, so I can give you a lift home.
У не́ї є моло́дший брат, він іще́ хо́дить до шко́ли.
She has a younger brother, he's still at school.
У вас є ві́льний сто́лик на двох?
Do you have a free table for two?
Note that the є is often dropped when the focus is on describing the thing rather than asserting its existence — especially with body parts and qualities: У ме́не блаки́тні о́чі "I have blue eyes" (no є, because you're describing, not asserting possession). But for plain "I have an X," keep the є: У ме́не є соба́ка.
У ньо́го кари́ о́чі і темне́ воло́сся.
He has brown eyes and dark hair. (Description, no є.)
The decisive contrast: ма́ти vs у ме́не є
Both of these mean "I have a dog," and both are correct:
Я ма́ю соба́ку. / У ме́не є соба́ка.
I have a dog. (Both correct: ма́ю + accusative соба́ку; у ме́не є + nominative соба́ка. The second is the more everyday, spoken choice.)
The difference is register and nuance, not meaning:
- У ме́не є… — neutral, colloquial, the spoken default for concrete possession.
- ма́ти — a touch more formal or emphatic; standard in writing, definitions, and contracts; preferred for abstract or "structural" possession (ма́ти пра́во "to have the right," ма́ти зна́чення "to matter").
Ко́жен громадя́нин ма́є пра́во на безопла́тну осві́ту.
Every citizen has the right to free education. (Abstract, formal — ма́ти.)
У ме́не є кі́лька запита́нь до ле́ктора.
I have a few questions for the lecturer. (Everyday — у ме́не є.)
ма́ти for obligation: ма́ю йти "I have to go"
Beyond possession, ма́ти + infinitive expresses a planned or expected obligation — "to be (supposed) to," "to have to." This is a use the у ме́не є construction cannot cover.
Я ма́ю йти, бо вже ду́же пі́зно.
I have to go, because it's already very late.
Ми ма́ємо здати́ прое́кт до п’ятни́ці.
We're supposed to submit the project by Friday.
Що я ма́ю роби́ти в таки́й ситуа́ції?
What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?
This obligation-ма́ти is softer and more "scheduled" than му́сити "must" — it's the "I'm meant to / I'm due to" of plans and arrangements, close to English "I have to" in the sense of an arranged commitment.
ма́ти in idioms
Ма́ти is also locked into a number of high-frequency set phrases where it cannot be replaced by у ме́не є:
- ма́ти ра́цію — to be right
- ма́ти на ува́зі — to mean, to have in mind
- ма́ти спра́ву з (+ instr.) — to deal with
- ма́ти ра́дість / зна́чення — to be glad / to matter
Ти ма́єш ра́цію — тре́ба було́ вийти́ ра́ніше.
You're right — we should have left earlier.
Що ти ма́єш на ува́зі? Поясни́, будь ла́ска.
What do you mean? Explain, please.
Ми ма́ємо спра́ву з ду́же серйо́зною компа́нією.
We're dealing with a very serious company. (ма́ти спра́ву з + instrumental.)
Negation: both flip to the genitive
This is the rule that unites the two constructions. To say "I don't have X," the thing not owned goes into the genitive — the genitive of negation — in both patterns:
- with the verb: не ма́ю
- genitive — Я не ма́ю ча́су.
- with the existential: нема́є
- genitive — У ме́не нема́є ча́су.
The everyday negative is overwhelmingly у ме́не нема́є + genitive. The form нема́є (informally нема́) is the negative of є, and it is impersonal — there is no nominative subject, and the noun is genitive.
У ме́не нема́є ча́су, поговорі́мо пі́зніше.
I don't have time, let's talk later. (нема́є + genitive ча́су.)
У них нема́є діте́й, зате́ є двоє́ ко́тів.
They don't have children, but they have two cats. (нема́є + genitive діте́й.)
Я не ма́ю жо́дного уя́влення, де мої́ ключі́.
I have no idea where my keys are. (не ма́ю + genitive уя́влення.)
So a single noun cycles through three cases depending on the frame:
| Frame | Sentence | Case of 'car' |
|---|---|---|
| ма́ти, affirmative | Я ма́ю маши́ну. | accusative (маши́ну) |
| у ме́не є, affirmative | У ме́не є маши́на. | nominative (маши́на) |
| negative (either) | У ме́не нема́є маши́ни. | genitive (маши́ни) |
This genitive-under-negation is the same pattern treated on the genitive of negation and negation and absence pages, and it is shared with the existential нема́є of бути.
Source-language comparison
For an English speaker, two things feel alien. First, the most natural "I have a car" has no "have" verb at all — it is "at me there is a car," with the car as the subject in the nominative. Resist the urge to translate "have" every time; learn У ме́не є as a frozen opener. Second, the case shift under negation has no English parallel — "I have a car" → "I don't have a car" leaves "car" untouched in English, but Ukrainian moves маши́на (nom.) → маши́ну (acc., with ма́ти) → маши́ни (gen., negated). Drill the trio Я ма́ю маши́ну / У ме́не є маши́на / У ме́не нема́є маши́ни.
For a Russian speaker, the у-construction is familiar (у меня́ есть), but watch the Ukrainian forms: є (not есть), нема́є / нема́ (not нет), and the genitive of negation works the same way. The bigger divergence is that Ukrainian ма́ти is genuinely common and idiomatic — far more so than Russian име́ть, which sounds bookish — so the verb-based Я ма́ю… is a fully natural register choice in Ukrainian, not a stiff calque. Use both freely.
Common Mistakes
❌ У ме́не є маши́ну.
Incorrect — after є the thing owned is the subject, so nominative: у ме́не є маши́на.
✅ У ме́не є маши́на.
I have a car — у ме́не є + nominative маши́на.
❌ Я ма́ю маши́на.
Incorrect — ма́ти takes an accusative object: я ма́ю маши́ну.
✅ Я ма́ю маши́ну.
I have a car — ма́ти + accusative маши́ну.
❌ У ме́не не є ча́су.
Incorrect — the negative of є is нема́є (+ genitive), not 'не є': у ме́не нема́є ча́су.
✅ У ме́не нема́є ча́су.
I don't have time — нема́є + genitive ча́су.
❌ У ме́не нема́є маши́на.
Incorrect — under negation the noun goes genitive: у ме́не нема́є маши́ни.
✅ У ме́не нема́є маши́ни.
I don't have a car — нема́є + genitive маши́ни.
❌ У ме́не є ра́ція.
Wrong for 'I'm right' — that's the idiom ма́ти ра́цію: ти ма́єш ра́цію / я ма́ю ра́цію. (У ме́не є ра́ція would mean 'I have a walkie-talkie'!)
✅ Я ма́ю ра́цію.
I'm right — the fixed idiom ма́ти ра́цію.
Key Takeaways
- Two ways to say "have": ма́ти + accusative (Я ма́ю маши́ну) and у + genitive + є + nominative (У ме́не є маши́на).
- У ме́не є is the colloquial everyday default for concrete possession; ма́ти is more bookish/emphatic and standard for abstract possession (ма́ти пра́во).
- ма́ти + infinitive also means obligation: ма́ю йти "I have to go."
- ма́ти is fixed in idioms: ма́ти ра́цію "be right," ма́ти на ува́зі "mean," ма́ти спра́ву з "deal with" — у ме́не є cannot replace it here.
- Both negate with the genitive: у ме́не нема́є ча́су / я не ма́ю ча́су. The noun cycles nominative → accusative → genitive across the three frames.
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- Бути: The Complete PictureA2 — Ukrainian's verb 'to be' is defective in the present — normally omitted (Він студе́нт) with a single form є kept for existence and possession (У ме́не є…) — but fully inflected in the past (був, була́, було́, були́) and future (бу́ду, бу́деш, бу́де…), where the predicate noun switches from nominative to INSTRUMENTAL (Він був учи́телем); бу́ду also doubles as the future auxiliary (бу́ду чита́ти), and existence is negated with нема́є + genitive.
- Genitive of NegationA2 — Negation in Ukrainian can change the case of the object. With нема́є / не було́ / не бу́де ('there is/was/will be no…') the absent thing is ALWAYS genitive (Нема́є хлі́ба, Не було́ води́, У ме́не нема́є ча́су). With an ordinary negated transitive verb the direct object often flips from accusative to genitive — strongly so with abstract or indefinite objects (Я не чита́ю газе́т, Він не зна́є пра́вди) — while concrete, definite objects allow the accusative too (Я не ба́чив цей фільм / цьо́го фі́льму).
- Genitive of Negation and AbsenceA2 — How Ukrainian expresses absence and negation with the genitive — нема́є/нема́ + genitive for 'there is no' (нема́є ча́су, у ме́не нема́є бра́та), не було́/не бу́де + genitive for past and future absence (вчора́ не було́ дощу́), and the case-flip on negated objects where the accusative becomes genitive (Я ма́ю кни́гу → Я не ма́ю кни́ги), the earliest must-know pattern for saying 'I don't have' in Ukrainian.
- 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).
- Nominative: Forms and UsesA1 — The nominative (називни́й) is the dictionary form, answering хто? 'who?' / що? 'what?'; it marks the subject and — crucially — the predicate noun after the missing present-tense 'to be', because Ukrainian has no copula in the present (Вона́ лі́карка 'she is a doctor', Київ — столи́ця 'Kyiv is the capital').
- The Infinitive (-ти / -ть)A1 — The infinitive (неозна́чена фо́рма) is the dictionary form of a Ukrainian verb, ending in standard -ти (чита́ти, говори́ти, бу́ти) with a colloquial/poetic variant -ть. It carries aspect, so 'to read' splits into чита́ти (process) and прочита́ти (read through), and it follows modal and phase verbs (хо́чу чита́ти, тре́ба йти) and builds both futures.