Iryna Bilousova grew up in a beautiful Ukrainian city called Bila Tserkva. She worked as an English teacher at the Pedagogical College and at Kyiv Institute of Postgraduate Education. When the war came Iryna had to flee the country.
– Here in Sweden I’ve got a part-time job at three different Swedish churches which provide help for Ukrainian refugees. I work as a translator and I also look after the kids. In addition, I keep on teaching English online, Iryna says.
You’ve just begun teaching Ukrainian at Folkuniversitetet. Who is attending your course?
– The participants are mainly Swedish, there is only one participant who comes from Belgium. People come from various professional backgrounds. They have both personal and professional reasons to learn Ukrainian. Apart from that, they are also interested in learning about Ukrainian culture and traditions.
Is Ukrainian a difficult language to learn?
– The Ukrainian language is quite challenging to learn for foreigners. It has complicated and tricky grammar. I would say that Ukrainian is rather hard to learn since the language is not directly related to the Roman or Germanic languages. Students will have to master a new alphabet, new vocabulary, and brand new grammar rules to master the basics of Ukrainian.
What is the main difference to Swedish?
– Ukrainian and Swedish have many differences due to their origins. Ukrainian is a so called synthetic language, while Swedish is analytical. Thus, their grammatical and morphological systems differ. And the alphabet is completely different.
What is the most difficult part for Swedes to learn?
– First of all, the most challenging part is learning the alphabet. It’s based on Cyrillic script but Ukrainian is a phonetic language. This means that even if the words are tricky, they are pronounced exactly the same way they are written. It’s also a challenge to learn and master the grammar. For example, such grammatical things like three genders and seven cases of nominal declension.
Iryna is happy to teach her language here in Sweden.
– To have the opportunity to work for Folkuniversitetet and be a representative of my native language is a great honor to me. Hopefully, more people will get interested in this beautiful language and culture and I will be able to keep on teaching.
Short facts about Iryna Bilousova
During her university studies, Iryna had a part time job at a secondary school. After her graduation – a Master's degree in English Philology – she worked as an English teacher at the Pedagogical College and at Kyiv Institute of Postgraduate Education. She has also worked as a flight attendant for two Ukrainian airlines.