Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Я часто питаю вчителя про нові слова.

Because the verb питати takes the person you ask in the accusative case. For masculine animate nouns, the accusative singular has the same form as the genitive singular. So:

Nominative: вчитель (teacher)
Genitive/Accusative (animate): вчителя Hence: питаю вчителя = I ask the teacher.

Do I need a preposition before the person? Can I say питаю у вчителя?

Both are correct:

питати когось (accusative): питаю вчителя
питати у/в когось (genitive): питаю у вчителя

They’re both natural. Using у/в can emphasize “from whom” you are asking. Here у вчителя is preferred for euphony before a word beginning with в-; it avoids the awkward sequence “в в-”.

Why is it про нові слова? Which case does про require?

The preposition про (about) governs the accusative case. So you use:

про нові слова (accusative plural)

With inanimate nouns, the accusative plural looks like the nominative plural, so слова doesn’t change shape. The adjective нові agrees in plural accusative.

Can I drop про and say питаю вчителя нові слова?

No—that sounds unidiomatic for “ask about new words.” Use:

питати когось про щось: питаю вчителя про нові слова You can also use:
питати щось у когось: питаю значення нових слів у вчителя (I ask the teacher the meaning of new words) If you mean “ask for” new words, use просити: прошу вчителя пояснити нові слова (I ask the teacher to explain new words).

What’s the difference between питати, запитувати, запитати, and спитати?

питати: imperfective, neutral, “to ask” (habitual/process). Good in your sentence.
запитувати: imperfective, often a bit more formal or repetitive/iterative.
запитати: perfective, “to ask (once, complete the act).”
спитати: perfective, common/colloquial alternative to запитати.

Examples:

Я часто питаю вчителя… (habit)
Я запитаю вчителя… / Я спитаю вчителя… (I’ll ask the teacher once)

How flexible is the word order? Can I move часто?

Ukrainian word order is flexible. These are all fine, with slightly different emphasis:

Я часто питаю вчителя про нові слова. (neutral)
Часто я питаю вчителя про нові слова. (fronts the frequency)
Я часто про нові слова питаю вчителя. (fronts the topic “about new words” in the middle) Placing часто at the very end (…слова часто) is possible but less neutral and sounds marked.

Can I drop Я?

Yes. Ukrainian is pro‑drop; the verb ending -ю in питаю already indicates the 1st person singular:

Часто питаю вчителя про нові слова. Also note: я is not capitalized by default in Ukrainian; it’s capital only at the start of a sentence.

Where is “my” in “my teacher”? Do I need to say it?

Possessives are often omitted when context makes them obvious (family members, teachers, etc.). If you want to be explicit:

Я часто питаю свого вчителя… (most idiomatic when the subject is also the possessor—“my own teacher”)
Я часто питаю мого вчителя… is also possible but свого is preferred in standard Ukrainian here.

What if the teacher is a woman?

Use the feminine noun вчителька. In the accusative singular:

Я часто питаю вчительку про нові слова.

How do I pronounce the sentence? Any quick tips?

A simple transliteration: Ya chasto pytayu vchytelia pro novi slova. Pronunciation notes:

ч = “ch” as in “church.”
в is a light v/w-like sound [ʋ].
и ≈ a short, central “i” (not like English “ee”).
Typical stress to watch: ча́сто, пита́ю, слова́.

Could I use something more formal than про?

Yes: щодо or стосовно (both take the genitive):

Я часто питаю вчителя щодо/стосовно нових слів. These sound more formal/bureaucratic; про is the most natural in everyday speech.

Any common mistakes to avoid with this pattern?

Don’t use за, по, or о for “about” here; use про: питати про щось.
Don’t say питаю вчителя нові слова for “ask about new words.” Use питати про нові слова.
If you want “ask a question,” prefer ставити запитання/питання, not calques like здавати питання.