Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Кожен повинен звертати увагу на безпеку.

повинен
- infinitive: personal obligation; neutral to fairly strong; agrees with the subject in gender/number.
має
- infinitive: “has to”; a bit more matter‑of‑fact/colloquial; is a normal verb that agrees with person/number.
слід
- infinitive: impersonal “one should/ought to”; slightly formal or advisory; no agreement.
треба/потрібно
- infinitive: impersonal “it is necessary/needed”; neutral and very common.

Does повинен agree with кожен in gender and number? How would it change for women or plural?

Yes. повинен is a predicative adjective and agrees with the subject.

Masculine singular: кожен повинен
Feminine singular: кожна повинна
Neuter singular (with neuter nouns): кожне повинне
Plural: усі/всі повинні To be gender‑inclusive, you can say кожен і кожна повинні…, or simply use the plural усі повинні…

Why is it звертати and not звернути?

Ukrainian aspect matters:

звертати (imperfective) = a general, repeated, or ongoing action (“pay attention” as a rule/habit).
звернути (perfective) = a single, completed action (“pay attention once/at some point”). Your sentence states a general rule, so imperfective звертати fits.

Do I need the word увагу? Could I say just звертати на безпеку?

You need увагу. Звертати увагу на щось is a fixed expression meaning “to pay attention to something.” Without увагу, it’s ungrammatical in this meaning. Alternatives that don’t use увагу:

зважати на безпеку
дбати про безпеку
стежити за безпекою

Why is it на безпеку and not до безпеки?

The idiom is звертати увагу на + accusative. До would be wrong here. Note that звертатися до когось means “to address someone,” which is a different verb and construction.

What case is безпеку, and why does it end in -у?

Безпеку is the accusative singular of the feminine noun безпека. Feminine nouns in -а/-я typically take -у/-ю in the accusative singular (e.g., книга → книгу). The preposition на in this construction also governs the accusative.

What case is увагу, and what role does it play?

Увагу is the accusative singular of увага and is the direct object of звертати in the set phrase звертати увагу (на …).

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Ukrainian word order is flexible for emphasis:

Neutral: Кожен повинен звертати увагу на безпеку.
Emphasis on the topic “safety”: На безпеку кожен повинен звертати увагу.
Emphasis that it’s everyone who must do it: Увагу на безпеку повинен звертати кожен. All are correct; choose based on what you want to highlight.

How do I pronounce it? Where are the stresses?

Stresses: Ко́жен пови́нен зверта́ти ува́гу на безпе́ку. Tips:

г is a voiced “h” [ɦ], not a hard “g”.
ж is like “zh” in “vision” [ʒ].
р is tapped. Keep the stressed syllables clear: Ко́- / ви́- / та́- / ва́- / пе́-.

Are there useful synonyms for звертати увагу на?

Yes, with their case patterns:

зважати на
- accusative (e.g., на безпеку)
дбати про
- accusative (про безпеку)
стежити за
- instrumental (за безпекою)
бути уважним до/щодо
- genitive (до/щодо безпеки)

Is there a nuance difference between кожен повинен and усі повинні?

Slightly:

кожен повинен = focuses on individual responsibility (“each person must”).
усі повинні = collective statement (“everyone must”). In practice, both often convey the same rule; choose the tone you prefer.

Any common pitfalls with these words?

Don’t use уважати to mean “pay attention” (it means “to consider/think that”).
Don’t use безпечність for “safety” (it usually means “carelessness/complacency”); use безпека for “safety.”
Keep на after звертати увагу (not до).

How do I tell someone (politely or to a group) to do this?

Use the imperative of the imperfective:

Informal singular: Звертай увагу на безпеку!
Polite/plural: Звертайте увагу на безпеку!