Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
I am just curious - how do you Ukrainians know what language to use in different social situations?
With a stranger at the bus stop... in the market.... at university.. in a shop or department store...?
Do you always speak the same language with some people, or do you vary even with your friends?
What happens if a particular friend is better at one of the languages while the other prefers the other language?
Language usage depends on the region of Ukraine. In the region, where I live, Ukrainian is used only in some official papers and some of the most official ceremonies. In Kiev AFAIK situation when each one speaks language of his choice is quite normal even for the conversation of strangers. Usually there are no problems in understanding each other. Often it leads to mixing languages and words.