Temporal constructions

на + L. less common: 'at', 'during'; see в + L. below.

на тім тижні (during) that week

На днях ходитч to be in the last days of pregnancy

на + A. 'on', 'for', 'per'

заходь до мене на хвилинку come to (see) me for a minute

їхати в Одесу на весну go to Odessa for the spring

на другий день the next day

на п'яту ніч on the fifth night

на той/цей час at that/this time

два рази на день twice a day

в + L. 'in', 'during'

в червні in June

в молодих літах in one's youth

в моїх літах at my age

в + A. 'on', 'at', 'during'

у п'ятницю on Friday

в таку ніч on such a night

у цю пору at (during) this time

В його тридцять років він устиг ... In/during the course of his thirty years,

he managed/succeeded in (doing X, inf.).

в одну мить at one (sudden) moment. . .

з літа в літо from summer to summer

OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS USING В AND HА: These two prepositions occur in many contexts that are difficult to describe satisfactorily in a systematic way; sources such as SUM do devise numerous sub-categories into which examples can be made to fit, but these are in many cases artificial. Therefore we will simply list their most common (non-temporal, non-spatial) occurrences.

в + L. and A. (including a number of set expressions):

в п'яти кілометрах від ... (at a distance of) five kilometres from . . .

у недузі лежати be ill

віддати в найми rent out, lease something to

вийти в люди become somebody

у відповідь in answer (to)

поцілувати когось в руку kiss someone on the hand

кімната у три вікна a room with three windows

у три рази більше three times as large

убивати комусь у жертву sacrifice to ... (lit. 'kill in/as a sacrifice

to . . .')

на + L. and A.:

вірити на слово take (someone) at his word

потрапити на очі комусь come into someone's view

попасти на слід ... find/соте upon the trail of...

перекласти англійською мовою translate into English

бути на самоті be in solitude

жити на картоплі live on potatoes

на пам'ять as a memento (lit. 'for memory')

на честь комусь in honour of...

мука на хліб flour for (the making of) bread

на біса ... to hell with . . .

поглядати на когось look at someone

на швидку руку in haste

брати на себе to take upon oneself

іти на ворога go against the enemy

на знак as a sign

мати на думці to have/bear in mind

лежати комусь на серці to be dear to someone (used of things, ideas)

The list of expressions with на could be much longer, but the examples here suffice to give the learner an idea of its use. Many other contexts in which this preposition can be found are cited in the better dictionaries, and of course it occurs now as an integral part of many set phrases and sayings (some of the examples cited in the list above fall into this category); it is advisable to make note of individual usages as they are encountered in reading or in speech.

The last three prepositional sets involving the L. are по, о, об, and попри; of these prepositions пo is the most common, and attention should be paid to its many varied uses (temporal, spatial, and relational):

пo + L. 'about', 'along', 'after', 'by', 'throughout', 'on'

Жили по Дніпру. They lived along(side) the Dniepr.

Вона ходила по кімнаті. She walked about/around the room.

ударити по голові hit (someone) about/on the head

по війні, обіді after the war, lunch

по трьох роках after three years

по теплій погоді (during, at the time of) warm weather

(X action takes place)

по ночах at nights (something regularly happens)

година по годині hour after hour

рік по році year after year

пізнати по голосі recognize by (one's) voice

Many other constructions of this kind (for example, товариш по школі 'school comrade', транслювати по радіо 'broadcast on/by radio') may be seen as Russianisms, or as due to the influence of Russian; they will be heard in the speech of a considerable number of Ukrainians, but will not necessarily be found in literary Ukrainian. Thus a construction like Вони прийшли по ділу 'They came on business' might be considered less Ukrainian than Прийшли у справі.

о + L. 'at' (time on the clock); all other meanings with the L. are considered archaic or dialectal, e.g. 'about' (= 'concerning') but may be found in works of literature.

о дев'ятій (годині) at nine o'clock

о тій порі, коли at that time, when . . . (rarer)

об + L. 'at approximate time when' or 'during', 'about', 'in physical proxim­ity to'

об 11 годині at about 11 o'clock

об обіді at the time of, during lunch (rare)

Було об Іллі. It was around the time of St Illya.

(archaic, SUM)

валянці об ногах felt boots about/on the feet (rare)

попри + L. 'in the presence of (= при)

попри особі нашого тетрарха in the presence of the person of our tetrarch (Л.У.)