Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
Basic Ukrainian or Russian is highly recommended for interaction with couriers and Uber drivers. Most couriers or delivery people could not find our address and called for directions when lost, but they did not speak English, which made it a little difficult to communicate. Most restaurants have servers that speak English and a good amount of restaurants have menus in English. There are language classes you can schedule through the Embassy that were excellent. - May 2021
Local language classes/tutors are available and affordable. It is necessary to have some basic Russian and/or Ukrainian at least to figure out how to weigh your potatoes in a grocery store. Kyiv is mostly Russian speaking. - Jun 2018
The more, the better. Russian is still the de facto language of spoken Kyiv, but Ukrainian grows in importance every day. Young people try really hard to speak English with you, and in generally Ukrainians are incredibly generous in working to understand you and help you communicate. Good tutors are available for about $7/hour. - May 2017
Every bit helps. Some young people speak good English, but to run ordinary errands, you'll need language. Here is the complicated part: to really get by, you need both Ukrainian and Russian. I arrived with strong Ukrainian but didn't feel fully confident until I got my Russian to a decent level as well. Most shop attendants, taxi drivers, and waitstaff in Kyiv will speak Russian, but many more signs, menus, and all food labels will be written in Ukrainian. If you're working, all official and semi-official functions will be in Ukrainian. It is a tough call, and if you have the time and energy to learn some of both languages, it is worth it. - Nov 2016
English levels vary widely, but I would say the more of the local language you know, the better. For daily interactions on the street in Kyiv, you'll get farther with Russian than Ukrainian (but if you're working, all official meetings will be in Ukrainian - so I found studying both to be important). Local language classes/tutors are readily available and not expensive - but note that it is far easier to find a teacher of Russian than Ukrainian in Kyiv (and some people will claim they can also teach Ukrainian, but if you're going beyond the basic level, you want someone who is really a Ukrainian speaker to teach you). - Jul 2016
You need to know either Russian or Ukrainian, preferably Russian. We learned Ukrainian, but Russian is more useful here by far; I regret that I didn't learn Russian, actually. Although for political reasons there is talk that people speak more Ukrainian now, my experience in Kyiv has been that people will speak back to me in Russian, and the languages are not that similar, so I have to ask them to speak Ukrainian in order to understand them. Most people assume that if I speak a little Ukrainian, I also speak Russian, so it's been a struggle. Almost all the TV programming is in Russian, though you sometimes get a show that has Ukrainian subtitles, so you can't immerse yourself in the local language if you studied Ukrainian. And people will speak a mix on TV talk shows and news programs, so even if the interviewer speaks in Ukrainian often everyone else speaks back in Russian. Ukrainian is really looked down on by some as the language of the villages ("peasants," some people say), in contrast to urban (and urbane) Russian. My spouse says he meets a lot of people who speak English, but, except in Lviv, where there are lots of tourists (and they also speak Ukrainian!), I have not found that to be the case. - Nov 2015
I can count to five, say hello and good bye and point really well and I get by just fine. But my husband speaks Russian so he deals wtih the landlord when he comes by and he calls the dog groomer to make an appointment. It certainly helps if someone in the house can order pizza on the phone in either Russian or Ukrainian. People try to speak English now and then, but it's evident they haven't had a big push to learn English here. President Proshenko says 2016 is going to be "The Year of English." Hopefully then the theaters will start playing English-language movies in English with Ukrainian subtitles, rather than dubbing. - Jun 2015
Learn as much Russian as you can. You will need it for your daily interactions. Ukrainians are very kind and forgiving to the foreigner who tries to speak to them. - Apr 2014
The more the better here. Not very many people speak English. More and more young people are, but it is still rare to find someone speaking English. If you know a few things like how to buy groceries and make some small talk, life is a lot more pleasant. - Apr 2013
You should know Russian or Ukrainian to make it easier. - Apr 2013
More Russian skill is better. The younger generation is more English-friendly. - Feb 2013
English is still not widely spoken in Kyiv, although a surprising number of restaurants do have English menus. Speaking Russian will make your life much easier. - Jul 2012
Any bit of Russian is helpful with that said gestures go a long way. One really should know the cyrillic alphabet, numbers and a few simple phrases. - Aug 2009
A lot! - Apr 2008
English is not widespoken, you can get by with a few phrases in Russian or Ukrainian but those with language generally have a much better experience. Note - Ukrainian is becoming more widely spoken all over but Russian is still predominant in Kyiv, the East and South. - Apr 2008
You need a lot, I think. Without Russian or Ukrainian this would be a very challenging place to live. All signs are in Ukrainian (but you can figure most out with Russian) and very few people on the street will speak English. I think Russian is still more useful overall, but you would be fine with either. Ukraine is gradually heading to a Ukraine first language, but it is still years away. - Feb 2008
