Soft Sign and Apostrophe
A0–B1Foundations 5 min
The soft sign softens the consonant before it; the apostrophe shows that я, ю, є, ї after a consonant are said with a й sound. After б, п, в, м, ф and before я, ю, є, ї, write an apostrophe: п’ять, м’яч
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA0–B1
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ь | has no sound: it makes the consonant before it soft | сіль / день | salt / day |
| Apostrophe | я after an apostrophe sounds /ja/ | м’яч | ball |
| A1Ь at the end of a word | after soft д, т, з, с, ц, л, н | ти́ждень / па́лець | week / finger |
| A1Ь inside a word | before a consonant and before о | Львів / сього́дні | Lviv / today |
| A1Apostrophe after lip sounds | б, п, в, м, ф before я, ю, є, ї | сім’я́ / де́в’ять | family / nine |
| A1Apostrophe after р | р at the end of a syllable, before я, ю, є, ї | подві́р’я | courtyard |
| A1Trap | no ь after ж, ч, ш, щ | ніч / річ | night / thing |
| A1Trap | no ь after р at the end of a word | лі́кар / секрета́р | doctor / secretary |
| B1Apostrophe after a prefix | a prefix ending in a consonant, before я, ю, є, ї | з’ї́сти / під’ї́зд | eat up / entrance |
The soft signA0–A1
- ь has no sound: it shows that the consonant before it is soft.
| Word | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| сіль | /sʲilʲ/ sil | salt |
| день | /dɛnʲ/ den | day |
| Львів | /lʲʋiu̯/ Lviv | Lviv |
A1
- At the end of a word, ь follows soft д, т, з, с, ц, л, н: ти́ждень / па́лець / сіль — week / finger / salt
- Inside a word, ь goes before о and between a soft consonant and another consonant: сього́дні / ті́льки — today / only
- After ж, ч, ш, щ, after б, п, в, м, ф, and after р at the end of a word, there is no ь: ніч / голу́б / лі́кар — night / dove / doctor
The apostropheA0–B1
- The apostrophe ’ is a sign, not a letter. After it, я, ю, є, ї are said with /j/, and the consonant before it stays hard.
| Word | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| м’яч | /mjat͡ʃ/ miach | ball |
| п’ять | /pjatʲ/ piat | five |
| сім’я́ | /sʲimˈja/ simia | family |
A1–B1
- Write an apostrophe after б, п, в, м, ф before я, ю, є, ї: де́в’ять / м’я́со / ім’я́ — nine / meat / name
- Write an apostrophe after р at the end of a syllable, before я, ю, є, ї: подві́р’я / пі́р’я — courtyard / feathers
- There is no apostrophe when another consonant of the same root comes before the lip sound: свя́то / цвях — holiday / nail
- B1An apostrophe also follows a prefix that ends in a consonant, before я, ю, є, ї: з’ї́сти / від’ї́хати / під’ї́зд / з’яви́тися — eat up / drive away / entrance / appear
Typical errorsA0–A1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| A1пять | п’ять | after п before я, write an apostrophe |
| A1сімья́ | сім’я́ | after м, write an apostrophe, not ь |
| A1нічь | ніч | no ь after ч; the ь comes from Russian |
| A1лі́карь | лі́кар | no ь after р at the end of a word |
| Львов | Львів | Львів is the Ukrainian name of the city |