Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Замість того щоб чекати, давайте зустрінемося на другому поверсі. - Instead of waiting, let's meet on the second floor.

It’s a fixed Ukrainian construction meaning “instead of doing X.” The typical form is замість того, щоб + infinitive. Here: замість того, щоб чекати = “instead of waiting.” You then propose an alternative action in the main clause.

Can I just say “замість чекати,” like English “instead of waiting”?

No. In Ukrainian you either say:

замість того, щоб + infinitive: замість того, щоб чекати
or замість + noun (Genitive): замість чекання Using plain “замість чекати” is ungrammatical.

What is the role of “того” in “замість того, щоб”?

Того is the genitive of “that” (те) and is part of the correlative, fixed conjunction замість того, щоб. It doesn’t add literal meaning; it’s just required by the pattern.

Where do the commas go in this construction?

Standard punctuation is: Замість того, щоб чекати, ...—comma after того (inside the compound conjunction) and another comma after the introductory phrase. In careful writing, include both commas.

Why “щоб” here—does it mean “in order to”? Should I use “щоб” or “щоби”?

In this fixed expression, щоб functions as part of a compound conjunction and doesn’t carry its usual “so that/in order to” meaning. Both щоб and щоби are acceptable; щоб is more common, while щоби can be chosen for rhythm or euphony.

Can the part after “щоб” be a full clause (e.g., “щоб ми чекали”) instead of an infinitive?

Yes. You can say замість того, щоб ми чекали, ... when you want to state the subject explicitly (especially if it differs from the main clause’s subject). The infinitive version is more common and stylistically lighter.

What does “давайте” do? Is there a difference between “давай” and “давайте”?

Давайте is used to make a suggestion, like English “let’s.” Давай is informal singular (to one person you know well). Давайте is plural or polite; you can use it to address several people or one person respectfully.

Can I drop “давайте” and just say “зустрінемося ...”?

Without давайте, зустрінемося is a statement of future fact—“we will meet.” To make it a suggestion without давайте, use the 1st-person-plural imperative: Зустріньмося на другому поверсі.

Why is it “зустрінемося” (perfective future) and not “зустрічаємося” (imperfective)?

For a single planned meeting, Ukrainian prefers the perfective: зустрінемося (“let’s/shall we meet [once]”). Зустрічаємося means “we are meeting (now)” or “we meet (regularly),” not a proposal for a one-off arrangement.

Is “зустрінемося” the same as “зустрінемось”?

Yes. The reflexive ending can appear as -ся or -сь: зустрінемося / зустрінемось. Both are standard; -сь is a shorter variant often used after vowels.

What case is “на другому поверсі,” and how would I say “to the second floor”?

For location, на + Locative: на другому поверсі (“on the second floor”). For motion/direction, на + Accusative: на другий поверх (“to the second floor”).

Why “на” and not “у/в” with floors?

With storeys/floors, Ukrainian idiomatically uses на: на першому/другому/третьому поверсі. У/в with floors sounds nonstandard here.

How do Ukrainians number floors? Does “другий поверх” match “second floor” in English?

In Ukraine, перший поверх is the ground floor. So другий поверх is one flight up. This matches American “second floor,” but British “first floor.”

How do I pronounce key words here?

Approximate, with stressed syllables in caps:

замість: za-MIST’
щоб: shchob
давайте: da-VAH-y-te
зустрінемося: zoo-STREE-ne-mo-sya
другому: DRU-ho-mu
поверсі: POH-ver-si
чекати: che-KA-ty

What case does “чекати” govern if I add an object?

Typically чекати takes the genitive without a preposition: чекати автобуса / чекати тебе. You’ll also hear чекати на + Acc. (чекати на автобус), which is common and acceptable, especially with events or things.

Are there stylistic alternatives to “щоб” here, like “аби”?

Yes. Замість того, аби чекати, ... is possible. Аби can sound a bit more regional or stylistic; meaning here is effectively the same.

Can I move the parts around, like “Давайте зустрінемося..., замість того, щоб чекати”?

Yes. Word order is flexible for emphasis: initial Замість того, щоб... foregrounds the alternative; placing it at the end softens it. Both are fine.

Could I use “почекати” instead of “чекати”? Does it change the nuance?

Yes: почекати (perfective) suggests a bounded or short wait—“wait a bit.” So замість того, щоб почекати implies “instead of waiting for a little while,” which is subtly different from the neutral process чекати.