Primer

Learning Ukrainian can be overwhelming at first — a new alphabet, tons of vocabulary, and grammar that doesn't exist in English. You actually need to know a lot just to speak and understand a little.

This primer is designed to "front-load" you with basic but essential information that will make the early days of learning Ukrainian smoother and more enjoyable.

Everything here comes directly from my own experience — things that, in hindsight, I can confidently recommend as helpful to know early. It gives you just enough of a foundation to start learning seriously and to begin looping effectively.

The primer is divided into two parts:

1. Learning the basics — the alphabet, basic numerals, parts of speech, and an overview of how Ukrainian words and sentences are structured.
2. Setting up your tools — installing Ukrainian typing on your computer or phone and configuring Anki for flashcards so you can make the most out of Looping Ukrainian.

Basics of the Ukrainian language

• Alphabet
• Numerals
• Parts of Speech
• The Structure of Ukrainian Words
• The Structure of Ukrainian Sentences

Setting up your tools

• How to set up Ukrainian typing
• How to set up Anki for flashcards

Once you've covered the primer, you're ready to start looping. Check out how it works and try the first four weeks for free. You'll be able to apply the basics you've learned right away.

Before you get started, keep one thing in mind: you need to be comfortable not knowing everything. There's going to be a lot of new information and it's easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged if you try to take it all in at once.

The looping method works best when you're comfortable with partial understanding. You'll fill in the gaps naturally as you go. Ukrainian has a lot of moving parts, so focus on what you're learning right now and let the rest stay blurry for a while. It's a process, and steady progress is what matters.