Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Ми думаємо про поїздку на острів. - We are thinking about a trip to the island.

Because the Ukrainian verb думати meaning to think about requires the preposition про plus the accusative case. This combination specifically expresses “thinking about” something.

What case is поїздку in and why does it end in -у?

Поїздку is in the accusative singular. The preposition про governs the accusative, and for feminine nouns ending in -а, the accusative ending changes to -у.

Why does the sentence use на before острів instead of в?

When indicating movement or destination toward islands, open spaces or surfaces, Ukrainian uses на + accusative. So “to the island” is на острів. In contrast, в is more common for enclosed spaces like rooms or buildings.

Why is острів unchanged in form here? Shouldn’t the accusative look different?

Острів is a masculine inanimate noun. In Ukrainian, inanimate masculine nouns have identical nominative and accusative forms in the singular, so you don’t see any visible ending change.

Can we drop the pronoun ми in this sentence?

Yes. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language. The verb ending -ємо already signals first-person plural, so Думаємо про поїздку на острів. conveys the same meaning without ми.

What is the aspect and tense of думаємо, and how does that affect meaning?

Думаємо is the present tense of the imperfective verb думати. It emphasizes an ongoing or habitual thought process (“we are thinking” or “we think”). If you want to stress a one-time decision or future action, you might use a perfective infinitive like поїхати.

How would you say “we are thinking of going to the island” using a motion verb?

You can replace the noun поїздка with an infinitive of motion. For example:
• Ми думаємо поїхати на острів. (perfective infinitive for a specific future trip)
• Ми думаємо їхати на острів. (imperfective, focusing on the process of going)

How is ї in поїздку pronounced, and why is it not just і?

The letter ї is pronounced [ji], like “yi” in yield. It always represents two sounds – [j] + [i] – and signals a separate syllable, whereas і represents a single [i] sound.