Imagine you’re telling someone to be quite: shhhhh. Now replace the “dh” sound with “k”: that’s the sound of the “y” in Kyiv. So, it’s ky (like shhhhh)-yeav (like year). |
what? |
I am Ukrainian and yes, that's correct. |
Same. |
Kay-yeev |
#kyivnotkiev |
Wrong. It is pronounced "Kih-EYE-Vee." The word "ivy" with a "k" sound at the beginning. Please do not disrespect Donald J Trump. It's a Witchhunt! |
I have eaten an exceptionally large number of Chicken Kiev breaded patties from the freezer section and I believe that gives me expertise. It's Key-ev. Like what-ev, but with a key. |
I'm so confused. I refuse to leave my home. |
+1 |
I am going to level up the difficulty here by explaining part of the reason why people are hearing a soft uh at the end. As someone who speaks Russian and Ukrainian in a professional context every day, I am struggling to think of a time when I would say the name of the city without a case ending.
Perhaps if someone asked me what is the name of the capital of Ukraine, I might answer simply Kyiv. But in any casual or professional conversation, there would be a preposition and then a specific ending depending on the case. So, yes, there is a difference and how do you pronounce the city's name depending on whether you are using the Russian or Ukrainian pronunciation, but there is also a difference depending on whether you are saying that something is happening in the city, to the city, around the city, or with the city, for example. |
Bill Taylor says it almost perfectly. Well done, sir! |
The expert has spoken! ![]() ![]() |