Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Черга довга, тому давайте зустрінемося пізніше.

In Ukrainian, the present tense of the verb to be (є) is usually omitted in simple statements. Черга довга literally says “line long,” which equals English The line is long. Use є mainly for existence or emphasis, for example: Є черга? (Is there a line?), У мене є час (I have time).

Why does довга end with -а?

Because черга (queue/line) is feminine. Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case: masculine довгий, feminine довга, neuter довге, plural довгі.

Where is the word we in the second clause?

It’s built into the verb form зустрінемося, which is first person plural (we). The particle давайте also signals a proposal involving the speaker and the addressee(s), i.e., let’s.

Why does зустрінемося end with -ся?

The verb зустрітися is reflexive/reciprocal: meet each other. Without -ся, зустріти is transitive and usually needs a direct object (for example, зустріти друзів = meet friends). Зустрінемося means we will meet one another.

Why is the perfective verb зустрітися used and not the imperfective зустрічатися?

Perfective (зустрітися) presents a single, completed event, which fits a one-time plan later. Imperfective (зустрічатися) describes ongoing or repeated action. For example, Давайте зустрічатися щотижня = Let’s meet regularly every week.

What does давайте mean, and how is it different from давай?

Both mean let’s, but давайте is plural/polite and is what you use with more than one person or in polite address. Давай is informal and singular, used with a friend or someone you address as ти.

Is there an imperative without давайте?

Yes: Зустріньмося пізніше is the synthetic first-person plural imperative (let’s meet later). It’s concise and stylistically a bit more formal or literary; in everyday speech давайте зустрінемося is more common.

What’s the difference between тому and тому що?

Тому means so/therefore and introduces a result: Черга довга, тому давайте… (The line is long, so let’s…). Тому що means because and introduces a reason clause: Ми зустрінемося пізніше, тому що черга довга (We’ll meet later because the line is long).

Why is there a comma before тому?

You have two independent clauses joined by a connective word (тому = therefore), so Ukrainian punctuation requires a comma at the clause boundary: Черга довга, тому…. There is no comma after тому here.

Can I replace тому with something else?

Yes:

тож (so), a bit more conversational: Черга довга, тож давайте…
отже (so/thus), more formal or summarizing: Черга довга, отже давайте… All three are acceptable; choose based on tone.

Can I say Довга черга instead of Черга довга?

Yes, but the function and emphasis differ. Черга довга is a full sentence stating a fact (The line is long). Довга черга is a noun phrase (a long line) and can be used as part of a sentence or as an exclamation; word order also shifts focus toward the adjective.

Is зустрінемось (with -сь) also correct?

Yes. Both зустрінемося and зустрінемось are standard; -сь is a shorter, more colloquial variant used after vowels at the end of a word. In careful writing, -ся is a bit more neutral.

What exactly does пізніше mean? Is it an adjective or adverb?

Пізніше is the comparative adverb of пізно (late), meaning later. If you need the adjective later (more late), use пізніший (for example, пізніша зустріч = a later meeting).

How would I say The line is too long?

Use an intensifier before the adjective: Черга занадто довга or Черга надто довга. Both mean too long; занадто is very common, надто is slightly more formal or bookish.

Can I drop тому and just say Черга довга, давайте зустрінемося пізніше?

Yes. It’s natural in speech; the causal link is clear from context. Adding тому makes the logical connection explicit.

Any quick pronunciation or stress tips?

Stress: чергá довгá, томý давáйте зустрíнемося/зустрíнемось пізнíше. Note that Ukrainian г is a voiced h-sound [ɦ], not a hard g.