How to Write a Ukrainian Postcard 💌

Spring is here, and so is the season of warm wishes and beautiful holidays. Let’s learn how to write a short but lovely postcard (листівка) for Easter (or any celebration!) in Ukrainian — and discover what cases to use when congratulating and wishing something to someone!

✨ Step 1: Greet the person

✅ In Ukrainian, you don’t actually need a verb to congratulate someone — just use the preposition “З” + instrumental case.

Here are examples for each gender:

• Feminine: з Масляною! (→ -ОЮ for hard stems, and -ЕЮ for soft and mixed ones)

• Masculine: з Великоднем! (→ -ОМ for hard stems, -ЕМ for soft and mixed ones)

• Neuter: з Різдвом! (→ -ОМ for hard stems, - ЕМ for soft and mixed)

✅ Want to sound a bit more advanced? Add the verb вітати (to congratulate) before the phrase. It’s the first conjugation verb.

If it’s just you: вітаю (I congratulate).

If it’s from a group: вітаємо (We congratulate).

Examples:

Вітаю з Великоднем! 

Вітаю з Масляною! 

Вітаю з Різдвом!

✏️ Time to try! (you’ll find the answers at the end)

Can you congratulate your friends on:

День народження (birthday) →

День Незалежності (Independence Day) →

Весна (spring) →

✨ Step 2: Wishing something nice

Some postcards are short, but if you want to put your heart into it, add a kind wish.

✅ To make your message sound more natural, use the verb бажати (to wish) — also a first conjugation verb like вітати:

Бажаю (I wish)

Бажаємо (We wish)

✅ And here’s the key: after бажати, the noun must be in the genitive case.

Examples by gender:

Feminine: Бажаю любові! (→ stem + И/І)

Masculine: Бажаю миру! (→ stem + А/Я for clearly defined objects, У/Ю for abstract or collective)

Neuter: Бажаю здоров’я! (→ stays the same for those ending in -Я, otherwise stem + А/Я)

✏️ Try this too (сheck your answers at the end!):

Wish your friends…

Щастя (happiness) →

Кохання (romantic love) →

Перемога (victory) →

Радість (joy) →

Затишок (coziness) →

Вітаємо! Congratulations!

You’re ready to write your first postcard! Try to make your own message for Easter:

How did it go? Hopefully, now you feel confident crafting warm, heartfelt messages for your dear ones — whether for Easter or any other special occasion! Keep practicing, and soon writing in Ukrainian will feel as cozy as receiving a handwritten postcard. 💛

✨ Key Answers:

• Вітаю з Днем народження/ з Днем Незалежності/ з весною! 

• Бажаю щастя, кохання, перемоги, радості, затишку.

💌 Example Ukrainian postcard for Easter:

Вітаю з Великоднем, друже (Іване, Ольго)!

Бажаю тобі миру, радості, затишку і смачної паски!

Нехай це світле свято подарує багато тепла і любові.

З найкращими побажаннями,

[Твоє ім’я]

Translation for reference:

Happy Easter, my friend (Ivan, Olha)!

I wish you peace, joy, coziness, and a delicious Easter cake!

May this bright holiday bring lots of warmth and love.

With best wishes,

[Your name]