Щойно я зайду, я зателефоную тобі.

As soon as I enter, I will call you.

Breakdown of Щойно я зайду, я зателефоную тобі.

• я: I
• зателефонувати: to call
• щойно: as soon as
• зайти: to enter
• тобі: you

Questions & Answers about Щойно я зайду, я зателефоную тобі.

What exactly does the word щойно mean here? Does it mean as soon as or just now?

Щойно can mean two things:

• As a conjunction: as soon as (followed by a clause), as in the target sentence.
• As an adverb: just now, e.g., Я щойно зайшов = I just came in.

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why is the future tense used in я зайду instead of the present, like in English as soon as I come in?

In Ukrainian time clauses referring to the future (after щойно, як тільки, коли with future meaning), you normally use the simple future, often with a perfective verb: я зайду, я зателефоную. Using the present (я заходжу) here would be incorrect for a future event.

Why are both verbs perfective (зайду, зателефоную)? Could I use imperfective forms?

Perfective highlights one-time, completed actions:

• зайду (from зайти) = I will enter (once, at that moment).
• зателефоную (from зателефонувати) = I will make the call (and complete it).

Imperfective would shift the meaning:

• буду заходити = I’ll be entering repeatedly/for some time.
• буду телефонувати / дзвони́тиму = I’ll be calling/trying to call (process or repeated attempts).

Can I omit the pronouns я here?

Yes. Ukrainian is pro-drop. All of these are correct:

• Щойно зайду, зателефоную тобі.
• Щойно я зайду, зателефоную тобі.
• Щойно зайду, я зателефоную тобі. Keeping or dropping я only affects emphasis/rhythm, not meaning.

Is the comma necessary?

Yes. You need a comma separating the clauses:

• Щойно я зайду, я зателефоную тобі. If you reverse the order, you also keep the comma:
• Я зателефоную тобі, щойно я зайду.

Can I swap the clause order?

Absolutely:

• Щойно я зайду, я зателефоную тобі.
• Я зателефоную тобі, щойно я зайду. Both are standard. The first puts more focus on the condition (entering), the second on the promise (calling).

What’s the difference between зайду, увійду/ввійду, and прийду?

• зайду (from зайти) = enter/come in, often with a nuance of dropping by or stepping inside; also used for “pop in” to a place or visit someone.
• увійду / ввійду (from увійти / ввійти) = enter, with stronger focus on crossing a threshold.
• прийду (from прийти) = arrive/come (to a place), not necessarily implying going inside.

In your sentence, зайду is natural for “come in.”

Why is there no preposition after зайду? Should it be зайду в…?

You add a preposition if you name the destination: зайду в офіс, зайду додому, зайду до вас. When the destination is clear from context (e.g., your home or the building being discussed), зайду can stand alone and mean “come in/stop by.”

Is зателефоную тобі the only way to say I’ll call you? What about подзвоню тобі or наберу тебе?

• зателефоную тобі = I’ll call you (more neutral/formal).
• подзвоню тобі = I’ll give you a call (colloquial but standard).
• наберу тебе = I’ll dial you (very colloquial; widely used in speech to mean “call”).

Avoid позвоню/звонити (Russicism). Use подзвоню/дзвонити instead.

What case does the person I call take? Why тобі and not тебе?

After дзвонити / подзвонити / зателефонувати, the person is in the dative case: кому? → тобі / вам. Accusative (тебе/вас) is incorrect here.

Can I move тобі earlier, like Тобі зателефоную?

Yes. Word order is flexible and can mark emphasis:

• Neutral: Я зателефоную тобі.
• Emphasis on the recipient: Тобі зателефоную.
• With both clauses: Щойно зайду, тобі зателефоную.

Are there synonyms for щойно? How do they differ?

Common equivalents:

• як тільки (very common): Як тільки я зайду, зателефоную тобі.
• тільки-но / лише-но (stylistic flavor of immediacy): Тільки-но я зайду, зателефоную тобі. All are fine; щойно and тільки-но/лише-но feel a bit bookish/literary to some speakers.

Could I use коли instead of щойно?

You can, but коли = “when” (neutral timing):

• Коли я зайду, я зателефоную тобі. Щойно / як тільки adds the idea of immediate succession: “as soon as.”

What are the stresses and how do I pronounce these words?

• що́йно (stress on що́-)
• зайду́ (zai-DÚ)
• зателефоную́ (za-tele-fo-noo-JÚ)
• тобі́ (to-BÍ)

Is ввійду acceptable, or should I prefer увійду?

Both увійду́ and ввійду́ are accepted variants. Modern style guides often prefer увійду́, but you’ll encounter both in real usage.

How would I say I’ll start calling as soon as I come in (emphasizing a process or repeated attempts)?

Use the imperfective future:

• Щойно зайду, буду телефонувати.
• Щойно зайду, дзвони́тиму. This suggests calling for some time or making repeated attempts, rather than a single completed call.