Do you say keev or key-ev?

It's KEE-iv. The media is just lazy and says KEEV. Key-yev went away a while back when Ukraine changed its transliteration rules and the western spelling went from Kyiv (Ukrainian) from Kiev (Russian/Soviet transliteration).

I’ve gone my whole life calling it Chicken Key-ev. The city is Key-ev and always has been. I’m not changing to Keev.

I have heard it pronounced in Ukrainian, and my English-trained vocal apparatus simply cannot form those sounds. Much like I simply cannot roll an "R" in Spanish. I am fluent, with a speech impediment. LoL.

Keev seems closer than Key-ev, but "kyiv" seems closer than either.

In the end, what does it matter, so long as people understand that you are talking about the capital of Ukraine?

key-EV

Because I am not a globalist gimp.

I use the 2 syllables. And a factoid of the day:
The Mongols and Rus had the siege of Kiev in 1240. However, the first battle between the two occurred in the coolest year ever... 1234.

shite-HOLE

I say Key-Ev. My neighbor, who is from Kiev, says Key-ev. Her explanation is that Americans who say Keev sound like idiots and it's really Key-Ev, but we say it too slow and natives say it much quickly and it kind of slurs together.

quote:

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Her explanation is that Americans who say Keev sound like idiots and it's really Key-Ev, but we say it too slow and natives say it much quickly and it kind of slurs together.

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That's my understanding as well. That second syllable is there, Americans just don't pick up on it (KEEV), OR draw it out into Kee-Yev.