Seven voices: Foreigners embrace Ukrainian language in act of solidarity

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shaken the world. Ordinary people from all around the globe support Ukrainians, in addition to foreign governments and organizations. Some people sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine; others organized gatherings or went out to protest. There were those who helped Ukrainian refugees, and learning Ukrainian became a tangible manifestation of their solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Those of different backgrounds realized that learning the language of a people who are resisting the enemy and defending their freedom is one way to join this struggle.

We met seven foreigners who decided to learn Ukrainian, and discussed their reasons to do so. They shared with Chytomo how they perceived Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, how they started learning Ukrainian, what difficulties they encountered, and how it is important to speak Ukrainian.

Alison Rochford

Alison is 30 years old. She is an American journalist, editor, and blogger. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she has been writing a blog on Instagram where she shares her experience of learning Ukrainian.

“I had no connection to Ukraine before the full-scale invasion. I had a few Ukrainian friends, but I knew nothing about Ukrainian language and culture. It happened that American education about Eastern Europe is focused mostly on Russia. I can say that learning Ukrainian changed my worldview completely. I had to learn many things anew. I had never heard of the Holodomor before, and that’s a shame. My teacher of the Ukrainian language includes history and culture issues into our lessons, and I am very grateful for that.”

“In the first days of the full-scale invasion, I was shocked. I listened carefully to every word Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said; I read and translated during Ukrainian news broadcasts. To be honest, I watched the news 24/7 and waited for someone to finally say: ‘It’s all over now. Ukraine has won the war.’ I’m still waiting for this day to come, but I feel the reality more clearly now.”

“I remember bringing flowers to my Ukrainian neighbor a few days after February 24. She told me about her family in Odesa and what they were experiencing at the moment. The reality of what was happening became crystal clear. I returned home, called my mother, and burst into tears. It was the very moment I decided to learn Ukrainian. To read more news, of course, but also to feel connected to the Ukrainians I couldn’t stop thinking about for a second.”

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“I started using a free app for learning languages, Duolingo. For the first few weeks, the only real way to hear anyone speak Ukrainian was to listen to Volodymyr Zelensky’s speeches. I didn’t know where to find Ukrainian news with English subtitles back then, but I do now. Listening to these speeches, I started noticing the declensions of words and learned to understand the meaning of certain words depending on the context.”

“A few months later, I met my teacher online, Anna Yurchenko, the founder of the Ukrainian Language School and author of two books about Ukrainian language and culture. I study with her every week and supplement my lessons with books, podcasts, movies, TV shows, etc. My advice for anyone learning any language is to keep an audio diary and talk about your day. To do this, you should pick up a few new words each time, which you can then repeat. Despite the fact that I post my Ukrainian videos on Instagram every week, I’m quite shy in real life. I dream of practicing Ukrainian more in real-life communication than just talking to a phone screen.”

“There are many words that I favor.”

“I really like long words with a lot of consonants, like ‘vykorystovuvaty.’ It’s funny, but a 15-letter Ukrainian word has an English equivalent with only three letters in it. It is to ‘use.’ “

“If you ask me about music, I can say that I’ve been listening to DEMCHUK lately, ‘One in a Canoe,’ and Valeria Vovk. I also enjoy watching the TV series ‘To Catch a Kaidash,’ based on a novella of the same name by Ivan Nechui-Levytskyi. Additionally, I like Ukrainian movies on Takflix. However, I watch Ukrainian news most often, and it is still the most important thing for me.”

“Ukrainians often say that Ukrainian is difficult to learn. I agree that there are many grammatical rules to memorize, but these rules are reasonable and relatively consistent, and the language is phonetic, unlike English. So it’s not that difficult to learn. For those who are planning to learn Ukrainian, I would advise you to find a teacher and join an online conversation club. I am convinced that you will not be able to achieve a proper conversational level with the help of software programs alone. In my experience, Ukrainians are extremely supportive of foreigners learning Ukrainian, and they are very kind and generous in sharing their culture.”

Daniele Mammana Torrisi

Daniele is 29 years old; he is completing his studies in historical linguistics, having previously studied law for several years. Torrisi, an Italian, is an active volunteer of EnGin, a nonprofit organization that helps Ukrainians learn English. He helped with the translation of “Eyes of Mariupol” into Italian.

“One of my dearest friends, who is like an aunt to me, introduced me to Ukraine. Let’s call her Vassi. She was my mentor for almost four years when we worked together. Vassi is from Ukraine, but has lived in Italy since the early 2000s. As a former teacher from Kyiv and a survivor of the Soviet past, she noticed my interest in her background and never hesitated to tell me all about it.”

“Initially, I took a course for learning the Russian language at the university, and Vassi helped me with it. But when the full-scale invasion began, we stopped. Gradually, I started practicing Ukrainian with her again, learning simple words and phrases at first. This was my attempt to support Vassi during these dark hours. To be honest, my attempts bore little fruit. I had no idea how grammar worked, how to build sentences, or how to conjugate verbs. I realized I needed a course, but it should be more comprehensive than just Duolingo.”

“Once, I came across an ad on an Instagram profile from the online Ukrainian language school “Tsvit” (Bloom). They offered three free trial lessons and I took them without thinking about where it would lead me. After these lessons, I was convinced that I wanted to continue, so I subscribed for a month. And then — for another one, and another one, and so on until today.”

“At this point, I should mention my teacher Natalia. She is amazing! Natalia is a professional who has endless patience, not to mention her ability to divide a complex topic into easier parts and adapt our lessons to my needs.”

“It might sound weird, but I keep confusing numbers: ‘nine’ (deviat) and ‘ten’ (desiat). It is already a meme. Even though I could read Cyrillic when I started school, I still confuse certain letters now. For example, I have a hard time with ‘ch,’ ‘sh,’ and ‘zh,’ as they don’t exist in Italian. It’s also difficult to catch the meaning of a conversation if people talk casually.”

“My favorite Ukrainian word is ‘will’ (volia). It is not as long as ‘freedom.’ ‘Will’ is an intention, a directive, a pledge. It embodies the desire for freedom and a steadfast decision to advance, regardless of the circumstances.”

Aistė Kesminaitė-Jankauskienė

Aistė is 46 years old. She is a Lithuanian entrepreneur and small business consultant.

“I have no family in Ukraine, but I have friends in Lviv and Kyiv. I planned to visit Ukraine but kept postponing my trip. I knew a bit about Ukrainian culture and history, the Holodomor, and so on. Ukraine and Lithuania share a common history. I always tried to follow what was happening in Ukraine politically. I was very happy when the Ukrainian people got rid of president Viktor Yanukovych, and I was very upset and angry about the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014.”

“There was a great need for additional information at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This information could be mostly found in official sources in Ukrainian. For this reason, immediately after the invasion, I started learning Ukrainian. It was important for me to help disseminate information to the Lithuanian public so that we could follow the events and help Ukrainian people in the best way possible. I wanted to do everything I could to tell people about the horrific atrocities Russians are committing against the people and nature of Ukraine. I still can’t think about it without crying.”

“I speak several foreign languages and it was easy for me to start learning Ukrainian. My ‘texts for learning’ were military news from Volodymyr Zelensky’s office. Duolingo helped, but I mostly compared what I knew from Polish and Russian. I also compared English translations of Ukrainian texts. I can’t say that I know Ukrainian grammar well, but it’s not a problem for me. I easily understand spoken and written Ukrainian, listen to songs, and watch YouTube videos. However, speaking is a bit difficult because I’ve had little practice. When I speak, I sometimes mix Polish and Ukrainian words.”

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“I like to read Volodymyr Zelensky’s speeches. They are very well written and understandable for a non-native speaker, unlike, for example, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak’s speeches. His language is much more complex and not so easy to understand. As for reading, I prefer fantasy books, and among Ukrainian authors, I have read Andriy Valentynov and Henry Lion Oldie (a pseudonym of Kharkiv authors Dmytro Hromov and Oleh Ladyzhensky).”

“Some of my favorite Ukrainian words are: ‘thank you’ (diakuyu), ‘sing’ (spivaty), ‘boat’ (choven) and ‘lullaby’ (kolyskova). From these words, you can probably tell what kind of songs I listen to.”

“I also like rock groups ‘Kozak System,’ ‘Okean Elzy,’ and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In fact, it is a very good idea to start learning Ukrainian with music.”

Oliver Loode

Oliver is 50 years old and an expert on the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities. He is the head of the URALIC Center, a nongovernmental organization that protects the rights of indigenous peoples.

“I became really interested in Ukraine in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula. I was gobsmacked by the unfolding events. At the time, I was an independent expert for the UN body on the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, and I started working with the Crimean Tatars to help advocate for them internationally. For the next eight years, I traveled to Kyiv frequently and also visited the Kherson region once. In the summer of 2021, I made a private trip to Ukraine, saw Lviv, the Carpathians, and Zakarpattia. This trip gave me a strong emotional attachment to Ukraine. After that, it was only a matter of time before I started learning Ukrainian. In fact, the full-scale invasion accelerated this process.”

“When Russia attacked Ukraine, I realized that it was inappropriate and immoral to speak Russian, the language I was accustomed to using, to Ukrainians. One of the best expressions of solidarity and respect for the Ukrainian people, who are defending not only their own but also our shared European values, is to learn their language.”

“It was important for me to learn the language with a qualified teacher using a good methodology. I made several attempts to find a teacher, but in vain. I later found out about the Preply.com platform, and it was there that I finally found a teacher who fully met my needs. I attend weekly 50-minute online lessons, and I do additional self-study. We started with pronunciation and then moved on to grammar. My teacher constantly emphasizes the importance of building vocabulary and developing conversational skills.”

“It’s funny how fluency in Russian does not help, but actually hinders me in learning Ukrainian. There are differences between Russian and Ukrainian languages that are particularly confusing. For example, I still find it difficult to memorize the peculiarities of using Ukrainian letters ‘i’ and ‘и.’ I’m sure that with the right amount of time to learn Ukrainian, these small difficulties can be overcome.”

“The Ukrainian language is beautiful and melodic, but for me, it is also the language of strong meanings.”

” ‘Volia’ (freedom) and ‘nezalezhnist’ (independence) are not just words, and by their struggle and steadfastness Ukrainians prove it every day. That is why for me Ukrainian is first and foremost a language of freedom and courage.”

“I am sure that Ukraine will prevail. When this war is over and Russia is defeated, I hope it collapses and the rebuilding of Ukraine will become a collective international task like the Marshall Plan after World War II. Knowledge of the Ukrainian language, even at a basic level, will be an advantage for anyone who wants to become part of this history and make a personal contribution to it.”

Kara Miller

Kara is 34 years old, an American who works as a career advisor at the nonprofit organization Upwardly Global. She has also worked in adult basic education and taught English.

“I had some knowledge about Ukraine from university courses on the history of the Soviet Union. I definitely knew something about the history of Kyiv and wanted to visit the city for a long time, but I hadn’t been able to do so.”

“I work as a coach at Upwardly Global, a nonprofit organization that helps migrants and refugees with professional experience find jobs in the United States. After February 2022, we started working with a large number of refugees from Ukraine. I thought it would be nice to be able to speak Ukrainian with them, and although most of our clients speak English well, it was more of a symbolic gesture. I thought for a long time about how to best learn Ukrainian, and now, having some free time for Christmas 2022, I finally took it up!”

“I started learning Ukrainian using Duolingo, and I still use it every day. Unfortunately, their Ukrainian program is not very good, so I didn’t move far. I also found a textbook that helped me learn basic grammar. Now I mostly learn by reading, such as articles on the BBC Ukrainian and other Ukrainian-language news sites. I pay attention to new vocabulary and grammatical structures in the text and create flashcards to study. I am gradually reading a book recently published by Ukrainian author Mariana Sokha, “Now We Stand Together.” I have tried reading Taras Shevchenko’s poems as well, but they seem to be too complicated for me so far.”

“I enjoyed learning the months of the year in Ukrainian and noticed the way they are related to natural phenomena, such as grass growth in May (Ukrainian for ‘grass’ is ‘trava,’ and the name of the month is ‘Traven’) or leaves that are falling in November (Ukrainian for ‘November’ is ‘Lystopad’ while ‘leaf’ is ‘lystok’ and ‘fall’ is ‘padaty’).”

“This is one of the most beautiful things I have learned! It’s also interesting to learn sounds that we don’t have in English, like the quivering ‘r’ sound or Ukrainian ‘i’ sound.”

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“I regret that I don’t have an opportunity to regularly practice my spoken Ukrainian. I would like to take several lessons with a private tutor, but I haven’t found the time for that yet. I am quite good at reading, but I would still need to practice how to speak. Sometimes at work, I switch between the two languages with Ukrainian clients, but I’m not quite sure if I could speak only Ukrainian.”

“In my opinion, learning Ukrainian is quite difficult, but it’s worth it! One can start with programs like Duolingo, but you also need to learn the grammar. It’s quite complicated and different from English, and if you don’t understand it, you won’t be able to speak properly.”

Bastian Pezzopane

Bastian is 34 years old, a poet, translator, and teacher from Chile.

“Before the full-scale Russian invasion, I knew very little about Ukraine. I remember reading information about the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity and other events of 2014. I also knew a few names of prominent Ukrainian classical writers, but I must admit that my knowledge was very scarce.”

“Poetry became my impetus for learning the Ukrainian language. At the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, I attended a Zoom meeting with Ukrainian poets. They recited their poetry in Ukrainian, and an English translation followed. I know English, but it was not enough for me. The sound of the Ukrainian language was so melodic. I started googling Ukrainian poetry, and I really liked it. I mostly came across English translations, and there were very few Spanish translations (Spanish is my mother tongue). That’s when I decided to learn Ukrainian and translate Ukrainian poetry.”

“Since then, the Ukrainian language has been present in my life every day. I watch educational videos, listen to Ukrainian music, and follow some social media pages to practice my daily reading. I also have a Ukrainian layout on my cell phone to practice writing. It wasn’t easy to get used to the Ukrainian language because it is so different from Spanish. I had to learn every single letter.”

“My favorite Ukrainian poetry book is ‘The Laughter of an Extinguished Bonfire’ by Iya Kiva. As for music, I like to listen to ‘One in a Canoe.’ The Oscar-winning movie ’20 Days in Mariupol’ deeply impressed me.” 

“My advice to those who want to learn Ukrainian is to choose the method that works best, then seek a subject that may further motivate learning, such as Ukrainian literature, art, or history.”

“By the way, I believe that each language shapes our way of life. Thus, I’ve found that learning Ukrainian has enriched and influenced my Spanish poetry.”

Gulliver Cragg

Gulliver Cragg is 45 years old. This British TV journalist has lived in Ukraine for a decade, covering Ukrainian events since 2010.

“My path to learning Ukrainian could have been shorter. When I started working in Ukraine, I decided to learn Russian first. It took me a long time to realize the importance of the Ukrainian language for Ukrainian national identity. The majority of Ukrainians I knew were Russian-speaking, and this did not prevent them from being absolute Ukrainians. Those who were Ukrainian-speaking did not emphasize the language issue too much. I am English, and I naturally assumed that the Scots, Welsh, Irish, Americans, and Australians would speak English, even though they are not of English nationality. I would later realize that this paradigm did not apply to the Russian-speaking world. It was only when I met my current wife, who speaks Ukrainian and has a firm opinion on the importance of the Ukrainian language for national identity, that I began to realize I was wrong.”

“I didn’t take any special lessons to learn Ukrainian because I’ve been living here for a while. Instead, I started listening to the radio a lot. The main difficulty for me was to separate Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian so that they did not mix in my head. I also admit that Cyrillic is quite difficult for me, even though I have known it since I was 18. I think I will never reach the same level of reading in Cyrillic as in Latin.”

“Some of my favorite Ukrainian words and phrases are: ‘yakshcho’ (if), ‘khai bude’ (let it be), ‘ne treba’ (don’t), ‘Slava Ukrayini’ (Glory to Ukraine), ‘Heroyam slava’ (Glory to the Heroes).”

“I don’t like the word ‘balakaty’ (blatter). I don’t know why, but it irritates me. Among my favorite bands I listen to is ‘Dakha Brakha,’ and my favorite movies are ‘When Trees Fall,’ ‘Atlantis’ and ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.’ I don’t read books in Ukrainian, but I read novels by my sister-in-law Zhenia Kuznetsova in Polish. I think they are wonderful. I also think the Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak is a genius, but I read him in English.”

“I am convinced that it is extremely important to learn Ukrainian in order to better understand Ukraine. You get a distorted view of this country if you only speak Russian.”

Translation: Iryna Saviuk

Copy editing: Sheri Liguori, Terra Friedman King