Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Ukrainian grammar and vocabulary.
Start learning Ukrainian now
Questions & Answers about Вона обіцяє прийти вчасно.
Is the verb обіцяє present or future? What does it say about time?
It’s present tense, 3rd person singular: “she promises / she is promising.” The promise is happening now (or generally), while the action promised (прийти) refers to the future arrival.
Why is it прийти (perfective) and not приходити (imperfective)?
Perfective прийти highlights a single, completed arrival (“to come once, successfully”). Imperfective приходити would imply repeated/habitual action. Compare:
- Вона обіцяє прийти вчасно. = She promises to come on time (this time).
- Вона обіцяє приходити вчасно. = She promises to come on time regularly.
Can I say Вона обіцяє, що прийде вчасно instead? Any difference?
Yes. Вона обіцяє, що прийде вчасно. is equally natural. It uses a finite clause with що (“that”) and the simple future прийде (future of perfective прийти). Meaning is the same; the version with an infinitive is slightly more compact. Note the comma before що.
Is Вона обіцяє вчасно прийти also correct?
Yes. Ukrainian word order is flexible. Вона обіцяє прийти вчасно and Вона обіцяє вчасно прийти are both fine; moving вчасно earlier can slightly emphasize “on time.”
Can I drop the pronoun вона?
Yes: Обіцяє прийти вчасно. Ukrainian often omits subject pronouns when context makes the subject clear. Without context, it’s just “(S/he) promises to come on time.”
How do you conjugate обіцяти?
Present:
- я обіцяю
- ти обіцяєш
- він/вона/воно обіцяє
- ми обіцяємо
- ви обіцяєте
- вони обіцяють
Past: обіцяв (m), обіцяла (f), обіцяло (n), обіцяли (pl).
Future (imperfective): буду/будеш/… обіцяти (“will be promising” / “will promise” in a general sense).
Perfective partner: пообіцяти (single completed promise), e.g., вона пообіцяла = “she promised.”
What’s the nuance between обіцяє and пообіцяла?
Обіцяє = present, ongoing or general promising.
Пообіцяла = perfective past, a single completed act of promising (“she promised”). Use пообіцяти when you want to stress a one-off, completed promise.
How is the sentence stressed and pronounced?
Stresses: вона́ обіця́є прийти́ вча́сно.
Notes:
- й in прийти is a short “y” sound [j].
- ч = [t͡ʃ] (as in “church”).
- вч- in вчасно clusters smoothly: think “v-CHA-sno,” with stress on вча́-.
What part of speech is вчасно? Any synonyms?
Вчасно is an adverb (“on time”). Common synonyms: своєчасно (“in a timely manner”). The adjective is вчасний (“timely”), e.g., вчасне рішення (“a timely decision”).
If she arrives by car, should I still use прийти?
More precise is приїхати (“to arrive by vehicle”): Вона обіцяє приїхати вчасно.
Neutral прийти is often fine in everyday speech when the mode of arrival isn’t important.
How do I say “She promises not to be late”?
Вона обіцяє не запізнитися.
Here не negates the perfective infinitive запізнитися (“to be late once”), which fits a single future occasion.
Can I mention whom she’s promising to?
Yes. Обіцяти takes a dative for the recipient:
- Вона обіцяє нам прийти вчасно. = “She promises us to come on time.”
- Pattern: обіцяти кому? що?/зробити що? (dative + clause/infinitive)
Is any comma needed in the original sentence?
No comma is needed in Вона обіцяє прийти вчасно. A comma appears only if you add a що/щоб clause, e.g., Вона обіцяє, що прийде вчасно.
