The perfective verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник доко́наного ви́ду) is the partner of the imperfective -чи form you met on imperfective verbal adverbs. Where the imperfective -ючи form gives a simultaneous background action ("while reading"), the perfective form in -вши / -ши gives an action completed before the main verb — "having read," "after finishing." It packs an entire "after I had V-ed" clause into a single word, and the aspect of the adverb alone sets the time relation: imperfective = during, perfective = before. As always with verbal adverbs, the action shares the subject of the main clause. This form is fully standard, especially in narrative and written Ukrainian, where it is the neat way to chain "do this, then do that."
Meaning: a prior, completed action
A perfective verbal adverb reports a finished action that happened first; the main verb then reports what happened next. The order is fixed by meaning: first the verbal-adverb action completes, then the main action follows.
Прочита́вши кни́гу, він поверну́в її до бібліоте́ки.
Having read the book, he returned it to the library. (прочита́вши completes first; поверну́в follows. Same subject: he.)
Зроби́вши уро́ки, ді́ти побі́гли на майда́нчик.
Having done their homework, the kids ran off to the playground. (зроби́вши is done before побі́гли.)
Прийшо́вши додо́му, я одра́зу ліг спа́ти.
Having got home, I went straight to bed. (прийшо́вши — a completed prior action; ліг is the next event.)
Because the action is completed and bounded, it is built from the perfective aspect (see perfective meaning) — the aspect of a single whole event with a result. That is the whole reason there are two verbal adverbs: aspect carries the time relation.
Formation: past/infinitive stem + -вши / -ши
The perfective verbal adverb is built on the past-tense (infinitive) stem, not the present stem. The clean rule: take the masculine past tense (the -в form), drop the final -в, and add -вши. (Equivalently: infinitive minus -ти, plus -вши.)
| Infinitive | Masc. past (він) | Verbal adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| прочита́ти | прочита́в | прочита́вши | having read |
| зроби́ти | зроби́в | зроби́вши | having done |
| написа́ти | написа́в | написа́вши | having written |
| сказа́ти | сказа́в | сказа́вши | having said |
| сі́сти | сів | сівши | having sat down |
Consonant-stem verbs: -ши
When the masculine past has no -в — because the stem ends in a consonant (the л-to-zero past type) — you add bare -ши to that stem instead. These are the same verbs whose past is irregular (прині́с, not приніс*в; ви́ріс):
| Infinitive | Masc. past (він) | Verbal adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| прийти́ | прийшо́в | прийшо́вши | having arrived |
| принести́ | прині́с | прині́сши | having brought |
| ви́рости | ви́ріс | ви́рісши | having grown up |
| спекти́ | спік | спі́кши | having baked |
Note прийшо́вши: прийти́ has the -в past (прийшо́в), so it takes the regular -вши, even though it is a motion verb — go by the actual past form, not the infinitive. Truly consonant-final pasts (прині́с, ви́ріс, спік) take -ши.
Reflexive verbs: -вшись
Reflexive perfective verbs keep the reflexive marker as -сь after -вши:
| Infinitive | Verbal adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| умитися | уми́вшись | having washed (up) |
| повернутися | поверну́вшись | having returned |
| попрощатися | попроща́вшись | having said goodbye |
Поверну́вшись із відря́дження, він зра́зу взя́вся за робо́ту.
Having returned from the business trip, he got down to work at once. (поверну́вшись — reflexive perfective verbal adverb.)
The aspect contrast: -вши (before) vs -ючи (during)
This is the payoff of having two forms. With the same lexical verb, switching aspect switches the time relation between the two actions — no extra words needed:
| Imperfective -ючи (simultaneous) | Perfective -вши (prior) |
|---|---|
| Чита́ючи, він кури́в. 'While reading, he smoked.' | Прочита́вши, він закури́в. 'Having finished reading, he lit up.' |
| Гото́влячи вече́рю, вона́ співа́ла. 'While making dinner, she sang.' | Пригото́вивши вече́рю, вона́ сі́ла відпочи́ти. 'Having made dinner, she sat down to rest.' |
Чита́ючи статтю́, я роби́в нота́тки.
While reading the article, I was taking notes. (imperfective — the two actions overlap.)
Прочита́вши статтю́, я зроби́в ви́сновки.
Having read the article, I drew conclusions. (perfective — reading finished first, then the conclusions.)
The two sentences differ in one suffix (-ючи vs -вши), and that suffix alone decides whether the actions are simultaneous or sequential. English needs different wording for this — "while reading" vs "having read" — but Ukrainian carries it in the verbal adverb's aspect.
The same-subject rule still applies
Everything said about the imperfective form's same-subject requirement holds here too: the doer of the perfective verbal adverb must be the subject of the main clause. A perfective dangling modifier is just as wrong:
Закі́нчивши робо́ту, він пішо́в додо́му.
Having finished work, he went home. (Correct — 'he' both finished and went.)
❌ Прочита́вши лист, на ме́не нахли́нули спо́гади. (dangling — different subject)
Incorrect — the memories didn't read the letter. Fix: Прочита́вши лист, я порину́в у спо́гади (same subject), or use a finite clause: Коли́ я прочита́в лист, на ме́не нахли́нули спо́гади.
✅ Прочита́вши лист, я порину́в у спо́гади.
Having read the letter, I sank into memories — same subject for both actions.
If the two actions have different subjects, you cannot use the verbal adverb — unfold it into a finite clause with коли́ "when / after" or пі́сля то́го як "after."
Beyond sequence: cause and condition
Like its imperfective partner, the perfective verbal adverb is not limited to bare "and then." Because it reports a completed prior action, context often reads it as the cause or precondition of the main event — "having done X (and therefore / so / once)…":
Не дочека́вшись відпові́ді, вона́ пішла́ пе́рша.
Having waited in vain for an answer, she left first. (cause — 'because no answer came'.)
Зеконо́мивши на готе́лі, ми змогли́ лиши́тися на ти́ждень до́вше.
Having saved on the hotel, we were able to stay a week longer. (precondition/means — the saving enabled the staying.)
The completed action sets up the situation; the main clause draws the consequence. This is why the perfective verbal adverb is so common in narrative and reportage — it chains events while quietly marking that one made the next possible.
Where it sits, and the conversational alternative
The perfective verbal adverb is fully standard but leans literary and written. In relaxed conversation, Ukrainians very often prefer a plain coordinate pair — "він прочита́в кни́гу і поверну́в її" ("he read the book and returned it") — over "Прочита́вши кни́гу, він поверну́в її." Both are correct; the verbal adverb is the more compact, more bookish choice, ideal in narrative prose and considered speech but slightly formal for a casual chat. As always, if the two actions have different subjects the verbal adverb is simply unavailable and you fall back on a finite subordinate clause with коли́ or пі́сля то́го як.
Посні́давши, ми ви́рушили в доро́гу.
Having had breakfast, we set off. (compact, narrative; in chat one might just say Ми посні́дали й ви́рушили.)
Підписа́вши уго́ду, сто́рони поти́снули ру́ки.
Having signed the agreement, the parties shook hands. (reportage register — the verbal adverb is at home here.)
Source-language comparison
For an English speaker, the perfective verbal adverb maps onto the English "having -ed" adverbial: "Having read the book…", "Having finished work…", "Having arrived home…". The neat part is that the aspect contrast you have to learn elsewhere in Ukrainian does real work for you here: -вши = "having done" (prior), -ючи = "doing / while doing" (simultaneous) — exactly the English "having read" vs "reading" distinction. And the same-subject rule is the familiar English dangling-participle rule, so your instinct already objects to "Having read the letter, the memories flooded back."
For a Russian speaker, the form transfers (the -в/-вши деепричастие works the same), but mind two surface details: Ukrainian uses -вши where modern Russian increasingly favours short -в (прочита́вши vs прочитав), and consonant stems take -ши (прині́сши, ви́рісши). The reflexive marker is -вшись. The same-subject rule is identical.
Common Mistakes
❌ Чита́ючи кни́гу, він поверну́в її. (imperfective for a prior, completed action)
If the reading finished first, use the perfective: Прочита́вши кни́гу, він поверну́в її. (Imperfective -ючи would mean he returned it WHILE still reading.)
✅ Прочита́вши кни́гу, він поверну́в її.
Having read the book, he returned it — perfective for a prior action.
❌ Прийти́вши додо́му, я ліг спа́ти. (form built on the infinitive, not the past)
Incorrect — build on the masculine past прийшо́в: Прийшо́вши додо́му, я ліг спа́ти.
✅ Прийшо́вши додо́му, я ліг спа́ти.
Having got home, I went to bed — from прийшо́в + -ши.
❌ Принісвши дро́ва, він розпали́в во́гнище. (-вши on a consonant stem)
Incorrect — a consonant-final past (прині́с) takes bare -ши: Прині́сши дро́ва, він розпали́в во́гнище.
✅ Прині́сши дро́ва, він розпали́в во́гнище.
Having brought the firewood, he lit the fire — consonant stem + -ши.
❌ Поверну́вши з робо́ти, я повече́ряв. (reflexive marker dropped)
Incorrect — поверну́тися is reflexive, so keep -сь: Поверну́вшись з робо́ти, я повече́ряв. (поверну́вши without -сь means 'having turned something'.)
✅ Поверну́вшись з робо́ти, я повече́ряв.
Having returned from work, I had dinner — reflexive -вшись.
Key Takeaways
- The perfective verbal adverb (-вши/-ши) expresses an action completed before the main verb — "having done," "after doing."
- Form it from the past stem: masculine past minus -в, plus -вши (прочита́в → прочита́вши). Consonant-final pasts (прині́с, ви́ріс) take bare -ши (прині́сши, ви́рісши). Reflexives keep -вшись (поверну́вшись).
- Aspect sets the time relation: perfective -вши = prior ("having read"), imperfective -ючи = simultaneous ("while reading"). One suffix decides before vs during.
- The same-subject rule applies exactly as for the imperfective form — different subjects make a dangling error; unfold into a finite clause with коли́.
- Fully standard, especially in narrative and written Ukrainian, for chaining "do this, then do that."
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- Participles and Verbal Adverbs: OverviewB1 — A map of Ukrainian's non-finite verb forms — and a stylistic warning: Ukrainian uses them LESS than Russian, preferring relative clauses (який…). The forms: passive participles (-ний/-тий: напи́саний, відкри́тий), the discouraged active participles (-чий/-лий), the verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник: -чи чита́ючи 'while reading', -вши прочита́вши 'having read'), and the idiomatic -но/-то impersonal predicate (напи́сано, зро́блено 'it has been done').
- Verbal Adverbs: Imperfective (-чи / -ючи)B1 — The imperfective verbal adverb (дієприслі́вник недоко́наного ви́ду) is formed from the present stem + -чи/-ючи/-ачи (чита́ючи 'while reading', ідучи́ 'while walking', говоря́чи, сидя́чи) and -чись for reflexives (посміха́ючись). It expresses an action SIMULTANEOUS with the main verb and shares its subject: Ідучи́ додо́му, я зустрі́в дру́га 'walking home, I met a friend'. It is invariant (no agreement). The same-subject rule is strict: the doer of the verbal adverb must be the main clause's subject, exactly the English dangling-participle rule (no *Поверта́ючись додо́му, пішо́в дощ).
- What the Perfective MeansA2 — The perfective (доко́наний вид) views the action as a single bounded whole: a completed result (прочита́в, написа́в), a step in a narrative chain (прийшо́в, сів, відкри́в), an onset (заспіва́в, пішо́в), or a finished future result (прочита́ю). Its defining idea is BOUNDEDNESS, it drives narrative sequences, and — the fact that catches everyone — it has NO present: прочита́ю IS the future.
- Verbal Aspect: The Big PictureA2 — Aspect is the central, pervasive feature of the Ukrainian verb: nearly every verb belongs to an aspect PAIR — imperfective (недоко́наний вид), which views an action as a process, ongoing, repeated, or general (чита́ти), and perfective (доко́наний вид), which views it as a single completed whole with a result or boundary (прочита́ти). The consequences are sharp: imperfectives have a present, a past, and BOTH futures (бу́ду чита́ти / чита́тиму); perfectives have NO present — their present-shaped form is future (прочита́ю = 'I will read it through') — only a past (прочита́в) and a simple future (прочита́ю). Aspect is chosen for EVERY verb in EVERY clause; it is not optional, and it has no English equivalent.
- The Past Tense: FormationA1 — The Ukrainian past tense is GENDERED, not person-marked. From the infinitive stem you add -в (masculine), -ла (feminine), -ло (neuter), -ли (plural): чита́в / чита́ла / чита́ло / чита́ли. The same form serves 1st, 2nd and 3rd person of one gender, so я чита́в, ти чита́в, він чита́в are identical — and a female speaker says я чита́ла. The masculine -в comes from a historical -л and is pronounced /w/. The verb 'to be' has був / була́ / було́ / були́, which also serves as the past auxiliary.
- Compound and Complex SentencesA2 — How clauses join. A SIMPLE sentence is one clause; a COMPOUND sentence (складносуря́дне) links clauses of equal rank with і, а, але́, або́, та; a COMPLEX sentence (складнопідря́дне) hangs a subordinate clause off a main one with що, щоб, коли́, бо, якщо́, який. The comma before every subordinator and relativizer is OBLIGATORY — unlike English's optional 'that' — and the complement що is never dropped the way English drops it ('I know you're right' must be Я зна́ю, що ти ма́єш рацію).