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Questions & Answers about Ти вільний увечері?
Why is there no word for “are” in the sentence?
Ukrainian usually drops the present-tense form of to be (є) in statements and questions. So Ти вільний увечері? literally is “You free in the evening?”, which is the normal way to say “Are you free in the evening?” Adding є (as in Ти є вільний…) is possible but sounds marked/formal or unusual in everyday speech.
Is ти informal? How would I ask formally?
Yes. Ти is informal singular (friends, peers, family). The polite or plural form is Ви:
- To a stranger or politely to one person: Ви вільні увечері?
- You can capitalize Ви in letters/messages to be extra respectful: Ви вільні…
Do I need to change вільний depending on who I’m talking to?
Yes, the adjective agrees with the person’s gender/number:
- Speaking to a man: Ти вільний увечері?
- Speaking to a woman: Ти вільна увечері?
- Speaking to several people or using polite Ви to one person: Ви вільні увечері?
What exactly does вільний mean here? Is it “free (no cost)”?
Here вільний means “free/available (not busy).” For “free of charge,” use безкоштовний/безплатний (e.g., “free ticket” = безкоштовний квиток), not вільний квиток (which would mean a vacant/available ticket/seat).
Can I say ввечері instead of увечері? What about вечором?
- Both увечері and ввечері are standard and mean “in the evening/this evening.” They’re single-word adverbs.
- Choice often follows euphony: after a consonant or at sentence start, у- is common; after a vowel, в- can sound smoother. In your sentence, …вільний увечері sounds natural.
- Вечором is colloquial. It’s fine in casual speech but avoided in formal writing.
Does увечері mean “tonight” specifically?
In a question like this, увечері usually implies “this evening (today).” To be crystal clear, say сьогодні ввечері/увечері = “this evening/tonight.”
For habitual meaning “in the evenings,” use вечорами (e.g., Ти вільний вечорами?).
Is the word order fixed? Could I say Увечері ти вільний?
Word order is flexible. All of these are natural, with slight differences in emphasis:
- Ти вільний увечері? (neutral)
- Увечері ти вільний? (focus on the time)
- Ти увечері вільний? (also fine) The meaning stays the same.
Can I add the question particle чи?
Yes, but it sounds more formal/bookish in everyday conversation:
- Чи ти вільний увечері? (perfectly correct, slightly formal) Most speakers would simply rely on intonation: Ти вільний увечері?
Can I drop ти and just say Вільний увечері?
In very casual speech or texting, yes: Вільний увечері? (to a man), Вільна увечері? (to a woman).
In neutral conversation, keep ти for clarity and tone: Ти вільний/вільна увечері?
How do I pronounce it? Where is the stress?
- Ти ві́льний уве́чері?
Stress: ві́ль- (first syllable), -ве́- (second syllable of уве́чері).
Pronunciation tips: - в is a labial approximant [ʋ], close to a soft “v/w.”
- ль is soft [lʲ].
- Say: “Ty VIL-nyi u-VE-che-ri?”
How would I say it in the past or future?
- Past (to a man/woman): Ти був/була вільний/вільна учора ввечері? = “Were you free last night?”
- Future: Ти будеш вільний/вільна ввечері? = “Will you be free this evening?” With polite Ви: Ви будете вільні ввечері?
What’s a natural “busy” version of this question?
Use зайнятий/зайнята/зайняті:
- To a man: Ти зайнятий увечері?
- To a woman: Ти зайнята увечері?
- Polite/plural: Ви зайняті увечері?
Is увечері one word or two?
One word. It’s a fixed adverb (like вранці “in the morning,” вдень “in the daytime,” вночі “at night”). Don’t write у вечері in this meaning.
Could I say “this evening” another way?
Yes:
- Сьогодні ввечері/увечері (most common).
- Цього вечора (slightly more formal/literary): Ти вільний цього вечора?
Any chance of confusing увечері with “dinner”?
They’re different:
- уве́чері/вве́чері = “in the evening.”
- вечеря = “dinner” (e.g., на вечерю = “for dinner”).
So увечері is about time of day, not a meal.