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Questions & Answers about Чи можна заплатити карткою?
What does the particle чи do here? Do I need it?
Чи marks a yes/no question. It’s optional; leaving it out is common in speech: Можна заплатити карткою? With чи, the question sounds a bit more formal/neutral.
Why можна and not можу?
Можна is impersonal and means “is it allowed/possible,” which is a polite, neutral way to ask in service contexts. Чи можу я заплатити карткою? is also correct, but it centers on your personal ability (“Can I”), and sounds slightly more about you than about the store’s policy.
Why is the verb an infinitive (заплатити), and why the perfective?
After можна, the verb stays in the infinitive. The perfective заплатити frames a single, complete action (“to pay once, now”). The imperfective платити is used for general, ongoing ability or policy: Чи можна платити карткою? (“Is paying by card allowed here in general?”).
What case is карткою, and why is there no preposition?
Карткою is instrumental singular of картка (“card”). Ukrainian uses the instrumental without a preposition to express the means/tool: заплатити карткою = “pay by/with card.” Prepositions like з, по, or за are not used here.
Can I say картою or по карті?
Avoid those in standard Ukrainian for this meaning.
- Картою is the instrumental of карта (“map”), not the usual word for a bank card.
- По карті is a Russicism. Use карткою instead.
- Colloquial/clear alternatives: кредиткою (“with a credit card”), банківською карткою (“with a bank card”).
What are natural alternatives to the whole sentence?
- Можна розрахуватися карткою?
- Ви приймаєте картки?
- Чи оплата карткою можлива?
- Тут можна безготівково? (colloquial “Cashless here?”) All mean roughly “Can I pay by card?”
How can I make it more polite?
- Add please: Будь ласка, чи можна заплатити карткою?
- Use a softening request: Чи не могли б ви прийняти оплату карткою? Both are very polite with staff.
What replies might I hear?
- Так, можна. / Так, приймаємо картки. — Yes.
- Ні, тільки готівкою. — No, cash only.
- Мінімальна сума для оплати карткою — … — Minimum card amount is …
- Термінал не працює. — The terminal isn’t working.
Can I change the word order?
Yes; Ukrainian word order is flexible. These are all natural, with small emphasis differences:
- Чи можна заплатити карткою? (neutral)
- Можна заплатити карткою? (very common in speech)
- Чи можна карткою заплатити? (slight emphasis on the method)
- Карткою можна заплатити? (stronger focus on “by card”)
Is оплатити interchangeable with заплатити here?
Often, yes. Чи можна оплатити карткою? is fine. Nuance:
- Заплатити = to pay (doesn’t require naming the object).
- Оплатити usually takes an object: оплатити рахунок/замовлення (“pay the bill/order”). With a method, both are acceptable: оплатити/заплатити карткою.
Does this also cover paying with a phone/watch (Apple Pay/Google Pay)?
Usually yes—staff will treat that as paying карткою. To be explicit:
- Чи можна безконтактно? — Is contactless OK?
- Чи можна телефоном/годинником? — Can I pay by phone/watch?
What’s the difference between заплатити карткою and переказати на картку?
- Заплатити карткою = pay using a card at a terminal.
- Переказати на картку = transfer money to someone’s card/account (bank/app transfer). Don’t mix them.
Any common mistakes to avoid?
- Adding a preposition: not з/по/за карткою; just карткою.
- Saying картою for a bank card.
- Using платити (imperfective) when you mean a one-off payment right now; prefer заплатити.
- Overusing personal можу when a neutral, polite можна fits better.
How do I write it in Latin letters?
Chy mozhna zaplatyty kartkoiu?