# Ukrainian: Words with different meanings



## belén

Hello to you all, 
My first post in the Slavic forum 

I have a Ukranian friend and she is having a hard time learning Spanish, as many times we have one word meaning many different things.
She is telling me that in Ukranian words don't have two or three different meanings, only one.

I find this very surprising and would love to beat her on that!! I was wondering if someone can think of an Ukranian word with a couple of meanings..

Thanks!!

Belén


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## jazyk

> She is telling me that in Ukranian words don't have two or three different meanings, only one.


Everybody says that about his own language.


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## Jana337

jazyk said:


> Everybody says that about his own language.


Indeed.  My father, who is struggling with English, will claim the same about Czech.

Belenita, try МИР (read: mir), a classic. Like in Russian, it means a bunch of things ranging from peace to world/universe. Proof. But wait for some natives, just in case. 

Jana


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## Thomas1

jazyk said:
			
		

> Everybody says that about his own language.


Ditto, I will just add that it happens mainly with the languages that are outside the language family of a learner's mother tongue. 

Another one МАШИНА. A native's comment to confirm or otherwise is welcome. 

Tom

Welcome to the Slavic forum Belen.


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## belén

Funny that you guys think that, because I would never say that about Spanish, as I am concious of our own peculiarities.

Nevertheless, thanks a lot for your examples, I am having a blast telling her about them  (the naughty girl in me, hehehe)

Cheers,
Belén


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## Crescent

Hola, buenas tardes a todos!! Que hilo interesante! 
No, yo creo que en ruso (y en ucraniano también, claro) existen muchas palabras que son homónimos. 
De hecho, acabo de pensar de una chiste que un amigo mío me dijo hace unas semanas! 
En ucraniano, hay la palabra_ ''горiлa''_que quiere decir gorila.  Y el diminuitivo de esta palabra es _"горiл*ка*" _pero lo que es muy gracioso es que esta palabra quiere decir vodka también!  
So there you go, Belén! Here are your _homónimos_ y un chiste inglés!


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## Crescent

Thomas1 said:


> Ditto, I will just add that it happens mainly with the languages that are outside the language family of a learner's mother tongue.
> 
> Another one МАШИНА. A native's comment to confirm or otherwise is welcome.
> 
> Tom
> 
> Welcome to the Slavic forum Belen.



Hhm..this is a tricky one, Thomas, I must say! 
I first thought of agreeing with you, but then my dad (who was sitting by me, at the time, reading over my shoulder) said otherwise: you see, a _машина_ in Russian simply refers to any object acting as a mechanism, a machine. So, a стиральная машина is a washing machine and a швейная машина is a sawing machine, etc. 
However, my dad's argument was that although a _car_ and a _washing machine_ in english are two different things, the word which we use to call both in russian - _машина_ basically says that both objects are more or less the same (because they are _machines) _and so techincally this word is not a homonim because it unites the two meanings into one. 
But now, I'm not sure whether to agree with him, or not. I would really like to hear other natives' (and non-natives too, of course ) opinions if possible!


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## Thomas1

Crescent said:


> Hhm..this is a tricky one, Thomas, I must say!
> I first thought of agreeing with you, but then my dad (who was sitting by me, at the time, reading over my shoulder) said otherwise: you see, a _машина_ in Russian simply refers to any object acting as a mechanism, a machine. So, a стиральная машина is a washing machine and a швейная машина is a sawing machine, etc.
> However, my dad's argument was that although a _car_ and a _washing machine_ in english are two different things, the word which we use to call both in russian - _машина_ basically says that both objects are more or less the same (because they are _machines) _and so techincally this word is not a homonim because it unites the two meanings into one.
> But now, I'm not sure whether to agree with him, or not. I would really like to hear other natives' (and non-natives too, of course ) opinions if possible!


Your dad may well be right. I dind't think it was the homonyms that we were after.  Would you say that Ukrainians use the same word for a car, machine, engine, and mechanism (I guess that's what they mean by works)? If so these are different types of things/machines--the meaning varies according to the context in spite of the fact that thay may have something in common.

Tom


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