Ми заряджали телефон, попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше.

Заряджали is the imperfective past form, so it presents the action as a process, activity, or ongoing attempt in the past.

• Ми заряджали телефон = We were charging / we charged (as an activity)
• Ми зарядили телефон = We charged the phone completely / successfully

In this sentence, заряджали fits well because the focus is not on the completed result, but on the fact that the charging was happening even though the power outage had already occurred earlier.

Телефон is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of заряджали.

The dictionary form is nominative singular: телефон.

For inanimate masculine singular nouns, the accusative usually looks exactly the same as the nominative, so:

• nominative: телефон
• accusative: телефон

So the form does change grammatically, but not visibly.

Попри те, що is a fixed expression meaning despite the fact that, even though, or although.

Structure:

• попри = despite / in spite of
• те = that / it
• що = that

Literally, it is something like despite that, that..., but you should learn it as one conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.

So:

• попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше
  = despite the fact that the power outage happened earlier

Yes. Хоча is a very natural alternative.

For example:

• Ми заряджали телефон, хоча відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше.

This is slightly simpler and more conversational.
Попри те, що can sound a bit more formal or emphatic, like despite the fact that in English.

So both are correct, but the tone is a little different.

Because попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше is a subordinate clause.

Ukrainian normally separates subordinate clauses with commas, especially when introduced by conjunctions like:

• що
• коли
• тому що
• хоча
• попри те, що

So the comma before попри те, що is required.

Because електроенергії is in the genitive case.

Відключення is a noun meaning disconnection / outage / switching off, and nouns of this type often take the thing affected in the genitive:

• відключення чого? = disconnection of what?
• електроенергії = of electric power

So:

• відключення електроенергії = power outage / disconnection of electric power

Using електроенергію would be accusative, which does not fit this noun phrase.

Because the subject is відключення, and відключення is a neuter singular noun.

Ukrainian past tense verbs agree with gender and number in the singular:

• masculine: відбувся
• feminine: відбулася
• neuter: відбулося
• plural: відбулися

So:

• відключення відбулося = the outage occurred

The verb matches відключення, not електроенергії.

Відбулося does mean happened / took place / occurred.

The verb is відбутися, which is very common in formal or neutral Ukrainian when talking about events.

So:

• відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше
  = the power outage occurred earlier

This is a normal, idiomatic choice. It sounds a bit more neutral or formal than some other ways of saying happened.

Раніше means earlier or previously.

In this sentence, it is understood from context. It usually means one of these:

• earlier than expected
• earlier than some other past event
• earlier than the charging situation being discussed

Ukrainian often leaves that comparison point implicit if it is clear enough from context, just like English often does.

It could be omitted.

Ukrainian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

• Ми заряджали телефон...
• Заряджали телефон...

Both are possible, though not always identical in feel.

Including ми can:

• add emphasis
• make the subject clearer
• contrast we with someone else

So ми is not strictly required, but it is perfectly natural.

The word order is flexible, though changes in order can change emphasis.

The original sentence is neutral and natural:

• Ми заряджали телефон, попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше.

Possible variations include:

• Попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше, ми заряджали телефон.
• Телефон ми заряджали, попри те, що відключення електроенергії відбулося раніше.

These are still grammatical, but they shift the focus:

• clause first = stronger emphasis on the contrast
• телефон first = emphasis on the object

So the original version is a good neutral model to learn first.

Both relate to electricity, but they are not always identical in style.

• електроенергія = electric power / electrical energy
  More formal, technical, or official
• електрика = electricity
  More everyday and conversational in many contexts

So:

• відключення електроенергії sounds official, standard, and common in news or formal language
• in everyday speech, people may also say things like відключили електрику

In this sentence, електроенергії fits the slightly more formal noun phrase відключення електроенергії very well.