бути

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 Pannonian Rusyn буц (buc) as well as (rare and possibly hyper-corrected) Old Novgorodian буть (butĭ) for the infinitive and Belarusian быць (bycʹ) for the senses.

(Standard Ukrainian) IPA^(key): [ˈbute]
- Audio (Standard Ukrainian): (file)
(Galician-Bukovian) IPA^(key): /ˈbutɪ/, [ˈbu̯͡o̝t̪ɘ], [bu̯͡ʊt̪ɘ], [bʷo̝t̪ɘ], [bʷʊt̪ɘ]
(Carpathian) IPA^(key): /ˈbɯtɪ/, [bʷɯ̞t̪ɪ]
- Audio (Carpathian): (file)

бу́ти • (búty) impf

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.
(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).
(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,

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 of бу́ти

More information infinitive, participles ...

Prefixed verbs

Ukrainian