Петро вчиться в університеті.

Petro studies at the university.

Breakdown of Петро вчиться в університеті.

• Петро: Petro
• університет: the university
• в: at
• вчитися: to study

Questions & Answers about Петро вчиться в університеті.

What does вчиться mean here?

вчиться is the third-person singular present form of the reflexive verb вчитися, meaning “to study” (i.e. “he studies” or “he is studying”).

Why is the verb вчитися reflexive (with -ся)?

In Ukrainian, adding -ся to many verbs turns them intransitive or reflexive.
– вчити without -ся means “to teach (someone)” or “to learn (something by heart).”
– вчитися with -ся means “to study” or “to learn as a student.”

What person, number, and tense is вчиться?

It’s third person singular, present tense (he/she/it studies).

Why do we use в університеті, and what case is університеті?

The preposition в (“in/at”) indicating a static location governs the prepositional (locative) case. The ending -і marks університет in the locative singular.

Why isn’t there an article before університеті (“the” or “a”)?

Ukrainian doesn’t use definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you if it’s “a university” or “the university.”

Can you use навчатися instead of вчитися? What’s the difference?

Yes. навчатися is a synonym of вчитися, also meaning “to study.”
– Their transitive counterparts differ: навчати = “to teach someone,” while вчити = “to teach/memorize something.”
– Style-wise, навчатися may sound slightly more formal, but in practice they’re interchangeable for “to study.”

How would you say “I study at the university” or “We study at the university”?

“I study…” – Я вчуся в університеті (or Я навчаюся в університеті).
“We study…” – Ми вчимося в університеті (or Ми навчаємося в університеті).

Where is the stress in вчиться and університеті?

– вчиться: stress on the first syllable – ВЧИться (VCHY-tsya).
– університеті: stress on the penultimate syllable – університЕті (u-ni-ver-sy-TE-ti).

Can the word order change, for example В університеті вчиться Петро?

Yes. Ukrainian has flexible word order. В університеті вчиться Петро still means “It’s Petro who studies at the university,” with slightly more emphasis on the location.