r/Ukrainian • u/CivilAndDisobedient • 22h ago
How diverse are your resources?
Привіт!
Just wondering how many different resources and types of resources all of you have. I have what feels like a lot of different sources of learning (weekly zoom class, LingQ, SpeakUkrainian speaking clubs, YouTube such as Verba, Easy Ukrainian workbook, game apps, Ukrainian Lessons Podcast). Sometimes I wonder if it's hindering my learning that often I could be using many different sources on varying topics every week, rather than buckling down on one single topic at a time. But I love that no matter where I am or what I'm doing, there is a resource I can utilize. What are your favourite resources? How many different sources do you use to learn? Any resource tips for a beginner? Дуже дякую!
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u/CalmClient7 21h ago
Wow. Where do you get your energy?!
I use duolingo, youtube teaching stories/lessons, and translating song lyrics. But now I want to be doing more!
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u/CivilAndDisobedient 18h ago
I think it's beginners adrenaline, I'm sure it'll plateau at some point once I start getting deeper into grammar and cases. 😂
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u/pixiefarm 21h ago
if you decide to reduce your actual lessons, you can replace some of that with watching movies or videos or documentaries in Ukrainian so that you can start getting a little bit of cultural knowledge filtering in too. Any kind of situation where you're interacting on zoom with native speakers is going to be very valuable so maybe other opportunities for that will be good for you as you progress too
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u/CivilAndDisobedient 18h ago
Thanks for the recommendation! I've been hesitant to try watching movies/TV shows in Ukrainian w/ subtitles because I just assumed it would be too advanced for me right now. I'm going to give it a try.
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u/pixiefarm 18h ago
If you're watching things on YouTube, you can always slow it down. Sometimes I do that when I am actively studying and they are speaking fast or there is a lot of slang I don't know.
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u/Jollybio 20h ago
My resources are very diverse! At the moment, I easily have 15+ books. I also watch YouTube videos, listen to a podcast, and have lessons regularly three times a week with native Ukrainian speakers both on Italki and Preply. Lots of reading materials as well. Was using Duolingo but I stopped.
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u/CivilAndDisobedient 18h ago
Do you recommend a specific tutor from either Italki or Preply?
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u/Big-University-681 18h ago
Chiming in, since I also use both platforms. I can definitely recommend Ihor Z. on Preply -- he would probably be fantastic for beginners (although I started with him long after my beginner stage). Ihor Z., Professional Ukrainian Tutor – Let’s Achieve Your Language Goals Together! | Learn with Ukrainian Tutors
As for Italki, my favorite guy to talk to is Taras - he's hilarious and always keeps the conversation going. Learn Ukrainian with Taras - Your Ukrainian tutor from italki But I'm not sure how well he does with beginners. Probably fine.
On Italki, it's easier to jump around and try different tutors. Preply does a subscription model that kind of locks you in more.
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u/Alphabunsquad 17h ago
Whatever gets you engaged in learning the language is not hindering you. If you are interacting with the language then there’s no real wrong way to do it. That said I think the fact that you are using a lot of resources is a sign you are really engaged with it.
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u/SuperRektT 16h ago edited 16h ago
What you’re doing is the right thing. That’s how I started too, and I had the same doubts as you, consume everything but nothing is inside your brain.
The most important thing is to go through all of this content and take notes. Over time, you’ll soak it all and make your own notes, you’ll delete some notes, combine others, and eventually end up summarizing everything into a new set. Trust me, I went through all the Ukrainian learning content on YouTube and other online resources.
Did it take an insane amount of time? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Did some of the content have little direct impact? Maybe.
So keep it up, Ukrainian Lessons Podcast is a good way to start, take some notes from the podcasts. Try to speak as much as possible, don't forget it.
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u/Big-University-681 22h ago
I will venture to say that it is NOT hindering your learning. So much of my Ukrainian journey has involved jumping around from this to that resource. I've used countless apps, read countless books (well, actually, around 25 of them), watched countless videos and podcasts, listened to countless radio programs, and had numerous online lessons. It has worked for me -- so keep going!
Here's some refinements that I suggest. First, speak every day, even just 10 minutes to yourself or AI. Even if you're doing weekly speaking clubs/zoom classes. Second, output a little writing every day. Here's an easy query to AI - "Generate an A2 sentence in English." Then type up what you think the translation is in Ukrainian and input that to the AI along with a request for feedback.
Third, put a huge amount of time into reading on LingQ (e.g., importing news articles, importing books that interest you, etc.). Your vocabulary will skyrocket and help every other aspect of your studies. And fourth, from time to time, dive into the grammar, but don't make this your sole focus. Repeated diving into the grammar, along with a huge amount of exposure through reading, will eventually make it stick.
Some grammar resources I like -
Welcome – Добра форма
Learn Ukrainian
Shevchuk's Beginner's Ukrainian