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Questions & Answers about Ми заплатимо за обід окремо.
What tense/aspect is the verb заплатимо?
It’s the future tense of a perfective verb. Заплатимо comes from заплати́ти (to pay once, to complete the act), so it means a single, completed payment in the future. The -мо ending marks 1st person plural (we).
Why use perfective here instead of imperfective?
Perfective focuses on one completed action—paying the bill once. If you want the idea of a repeated or ongoing action, use the imperfective future: either the analytic form ми будемо платити or the synthetic form ми платити́мемо.
Can I say “we will be paying separately” using the imperfective?
Yes:
- Neutral/colloquial: Ми будемо платити за обід окремо.
- More literary: Ми платити́мемо за обід окремо. These suggest process or habit rather than a single act.
Why is the preposition за used with “pay”?
With the verbs платити/заплатити, Ukrainian uses за + Accusative to mean “pay for” something: заплатити за обід / за таксі / за квиток. Don’t use для or на here.
What case is обід in, and why does it look unchanged?
Accusative singular. Masculine inanimate nouns like обід have the same form in nominative and accusative, so it stays обід. Compare a feminine noun: за вече́рю (from вечеря).
Could I use для обіду or на обід instead of за обід?
Not with “pay.”
- за обід = pay for the lunch (correct with платити/заплатити).
- для обіду = intended for lunch (purpose), e.g., “I bought food for lunch.”
- на обід = for lunch (time/purpose), e.g., “We’re going for lunch.”
Is the subject pronoun ми necessary?
No. Ukrainian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. Заплати́мо за обі́д окре́мо is perfectly fine.
Where can the adverb окремо go in the sentence?
It’s flexible. All are grammatical, with slight differences in emphasis:
- Ми заплатимо за обід окремо. (neutral)
- Ми окремо заплатимо за обід. (focus on “separately”)
- Окремо ми заплатимо за обід. (fronted emphasis on “separately”)
How do I pronounce and stress the sentence?
Stresses: Ми заплати́мо за обі́д окре́мо.
Approximate: “Mee za-pla-TEE-mo za o-BEED ok-RE-mo.”
Can I omit за обід in a restaurant if it’s obvious?
Yes. In context, Ми заплатимо окремо is enough. The server will understand you’re talking about the bill.
What’s the difference between заплатити, оплатити, and сплатити?
- заплатити за + Acc. = pay for something (most general): заплатити за обід.
- оплатити + Acc. (no “за”) = pay/cover a specific item/charge: оплатити рахунок/обід/рахунок за обід. Saying оплатити за обід is incorrect.
- сплатити + Acc. often “pay off/settle” a due (tax, fine, debt): сплатити борг/штраф. Less common for a casual meal.
How do I politely ask for separate checks?
- Можна, будь ласка, окремі рахунки?
- Чи можемо ми заплатити окремо?
- Ми хотіли б заплатити окремо, будь ласка.
You’ll also hear: Ми розрахуємося окремо.
Is there a natural way to say “each pays for themselves”?
Yes: Кожен платить за себе. You can combine it: Ми кожен заплатимо за себе. (Here кожен stays singular; it’s understood as “each of us.”)
Are there synonyms for окремо here?
The most natural choice for billing is окремо. You may also hear:
- роздільно (separately, often in written/technical style)
- поокремо (emphatic “one by one,” less common in this context) Avoid regional/colloquial options like поврознь for restaurant bills.
How would I say “together,” not separately?
Use разом: Ми заплатимо разом.
Can I say this with “settle up” instead of “pay”?
Yes: Ми розрахуємося окремо. It sounds very natural when talking to a server.
How would this change for other meals?
- Breakfast: Ми заплатимо за сніданок окремо.
- Dinner: Ми заплатимо за вечерю окремо.
Any common mistakes to avoid?
- Don’t say оплатити за обід (drop за with оплатити).
- Don’t replace за with для/на after платити/заплатити.
- Keep the correct case: за обід (Acc.), not за обіда.
- In standard Ukrainian, use заплатимо, not the clipped colloquial заплатим.