UKRAINIAN NUMBERS MADE EASY: HOW TO COUNT AND TALK ABOUT PRICES
Numbers are one of those areas of language learning that feel intimidating at first and then, once the pattern clicks, become surprisingly satisfying. Ukrainian numbers follow a logical structure, and once you have the first twenty or so in place, the rest largely build themselves. More importantly, numbers come up constantly in real life: prices at a market, apartment numbers, bus routes, phone numbers, opening hours. If you are working on practical Ukrainian for everyday situations, this is vocabulary that pays off immediately. Our Ukrainian language lessons with native-speaking tutors cover exactly this kind of functional, high-frequency material so that what you learn in a lesson you can use the same afternoon.
1 TO 20: THE FOUNDATION
The first twenty numbers are the ones worth memorising individually, because they do not follow a single predictable pattern. Everything from 21 onwards is built from them, so time spent here is time well invested.
1 — один / одна (male / female) 11 — одинадцять
2 — два / дві (male / female) 12 — дванадцять
3 — три 13 — тринадцять
4 — чотири 14 — чотирнадцять
5 — п'ять 15 — п'ятнадцять
6 — шість 16 — шістнадцять
7 — сім 17 — сімнадцять
8 — вісім 18 — вісімнадцять
9 — дев'ять 19 — дев'ятнадцять
10 — десять 20 — двадцять
One small but important detail: the numbers 1 and 2 change depending on the gender of the noun they describe. Один goes with masculine nouns and одна with feminine ones. The same applies to два (masculine) and дві (feminine). You will encounter this immediately when talking about prices and quantities, so it is worth flagging early.
20 TO 100: THE PATTERN KICKS IN
From 21 onwards, Ukrainian numbers follow a straightforward compound structure. You say the tens first, then the units, joined together as two separate words. Once you know your tens, the rest writes itself.
20 — двадцять 70 — сімдесят
30 — тридцять 80 — вісімдесят
40 — сорок 90 — дев'яносто
50 — п'ятдесят 100 — сто
60 — шістдесят
So 25 is двадцять п'ять, 43 is сорок три, and 78 is сімдесят вісім. The logic is consistent throughout, with one exception worth noting: 40 and 90 are irregular forms, сорок and дев'яносто, that do not follow the pattern of the other tens. They are common enough that they will become automatic quickly, but they are worth flagging so they do not catch you off guard.
TALKING ABOUT PRICES
This is where numbers move from abstract to immediately useful. Ukraine's currency is the гривня (hryvnia), abbreviated as грн, and prices in everyday settings tend to range from single figures for small items to three figures for larger purchases.
- how much does it cost? — скільки це коштує?
- how much is it? — скільки коштує?
- it costs… — це коштує…
- too expensive — занадто дорого
- cheaper — дешевше
- the total is… — разом…
- do you have change? — чи є решта?
In practice, a market vendor might say "Двадцять п'ять гривень" (25 hryvnias) or a cashier might tell you "Разом сімдесят вісім гривень" (the total is 78 hryvnias). If you have been practicing your numbers, these land instantly. If not, the screen on the till is always your backup, but getting to the point where you catch the spoken number first is one of those small milestones that makes a real difference to how confident you feel.
One grammatical detail worth knowing: the word гривня changes its ending depending on the number before it. After 1 it is гривня, after 2, 3, and 4 it is гривні, and after 5 and above it is гривень. You will hear all three forms constantly, so recognising them early saves confusion later.
Numbers are one of those areas where consistent, low-effort repetition does most of the work. Running through prices you see on receipts, menus, or signs in Ukrainian takes thirty seconds and builds genuine fluency faster than most people expect. And when you are ready to move further, you can start with a trial lesson or jump into our full beginner to confident speaker course.