Getting around
Автобус
Наступна зупинка.
Next stop.
You hear this when the doors close or the next stop is called. It is written down too, so a missed word does not end the ride.
Chernivtsi
Ukraine
Chernivtsi is a Bukovinian city of Habsburg streets and a brick university on a hill.
How the language is used
Ukrainian is official. The old town still shows a layered history of several communities.
In this city
- Language
- Ukrainian
- Also heard
- Mostly Ukrainian
- A local word
- Резиденція — The university residence.
- Writing
- Cyrillic
What people say
Ordinary lines from this city: the ride, the counter, the food, and the greeting.
The counter
Кафе
Каву, будь ласка.
One coffee, please.
This line is a whole order. You do not need a longer sentence.
The street
Вулиця
Добрий день.
Good day.
People keep this line short. It is enough for the moment.
Food
Університет
Дякую.
Thank you.
The order is built in short pieces like this one.
The language through the day
Ukrainian is official. The old town has a layered history, and families may use other languages, but signs and the street are in Ukrainian.
Around Kobylyanska, the University, Turkish Well, this is the ordinary sound of the day.
A first day in Chernivtsi can run on four lines: “Наступна зупинка.”, “Каву, будь ласка.”, “Добрий день.”, and “Дякую.”. Each one is already a complete moment.
If you are new here
- Stops, prices, and shop signs are written in Cyrillic.
- With strangers and at the counter you use вы. Ты is for people you know.
- If a spoken line goes past you, read the screen or the board. In Chernivtsi, the stop and the price are written down.
One local word: Резиденція. It means The university residence..
Places you can see
- University — The former Residence of the Bukovinian Metropolitans, a tiled complex that is now the university.
- Cathedral — The Holy Spirit Cathedral, a landmark of the city’s church skyline.
- Kobylyanska Street — The pedestrian street named for the writer Olha Kobylianska.
Food
Bukovinian pies and coffee houses along the pedestrian street.
Getting around
Buses and a walkable centre. The university residence sits uphill from the old streets.
Daily life
You use Ukrainian in town. Old façades recall the city’s Romanian, German, and Jewish layers.
A few everyday phrases
Ukrainian
| Phrase | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Добрий день | Dobryy den | Hello |
| Дякую | Dyakuyu | Thank you |
| Доброго ранку | Dobroho ranku | Good morning |
| Мене звати… | Mene zvaty… | My name is… |
