бути

Ukrainian

Alternative forms

• буть (butʹ)
• быть (bytʹ) — archaic

Etymology

From Old East Slavic бꙑти (byti), from Proto-Slavic *byti. The u in the infinitive and past tense was probably influenced by the future tense. Compare (rare and possibly hypercorrect) Old Novgorodian буть (butĭ) for the infinitive and Belarusian быць (bycʹ) for the senses.

Pronunciation

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Verb

бу́ти • (búty) impf

1. to be

   У ме́не є пита́ння ― U méne je pytánnja ― I have a question.

   Він був до́бре відо́мий на ба́тьківщині. ― Vin buv dóbre vidómyj na bátʹkivščyni. ― He was well known in his homeland.

2. (auxiliary, future tense) used to form the future tense of imperfect verbs

   Бу́ду роби́ти ― Búdu robýty ― I will be doing.

   Жи́ти бу́де ― Žýty búde ― He/She/It will live (be living).

3. (auxiliary, past tense) used to form the pluperfect tense

   Я був сказа́в / Я була́ сказа́ла ― Ja buv skazáv / Ja bulá skazála ― I had said

   Вона́ пила́ була́ ― Voná pylá bulá ― She had been drinking

   • 1991 August 24, Акт проголошення незалежності України (Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic)‎:

     Виходячи із смертельної небезпеки, яка нависла була над Україною в зв'язку з державним переворотом в СРСР 19 серпня 1991 року,

     Vyxodjačy iz smertelʹnoji nebezpeky, jaka navysla bula nad Ukrajinoju v zvʺjazku z deržavnym perevorotom v SRSR 19 serpnja 1991 roku,

     Coming from the mortal danger, which had hung over Ukraine in connection with the state coup in the USSR on August 19, 1991,

Usage notes

• Omitted in the present tense except in the third-person singular "є", which is used occasionally to express possession or definition or for emphasis.
• To express A=B (to indicate that the subject and object are the same), in the present tense, the verb is omitted and — can be used, e.g.:

  мій брат — вчи́тель ― mij brat — včýtelʹ ― My brother is a teacher

• "—" is not used when the subject is a pronoun, e.g.:

  я студе́нт ― ja studént ― I am a student

• Omitted in the present tense to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal

  вона́ вродли́ва ― voná vrodlýva ― she is beautiful

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• Hrinchenko, Borys, editor (1924), “бу́ти”, in Словарь української мови [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language]‎ (in Russian), volumes 1: А – Н, Berlin: Ukrainske Slowo, page 158
• Rusanivskyi, V. M., editor (2010), “бу́ти”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1 (а – бязь), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, →ISBN