Попри те, що генератор працює, електрик знеструмив розподільний щит.

Попри те, що means although, even though, or despite the fact that.

It is best learned as a set phrase:

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

But in this sentence, you should not translate each word separately too literally. Together, Попри те, що functions as a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.

No. Common alternatives are:

• хоч
• хоча
• незважаючи на те, що

So this sentence could also be expressed with хоча in many contexts.
Попри те, що often sounds a bit more formal or emphatic than хоча, but it is perfectly normal Ukrainian.

Because Попри те, що генератор працює is a subordinate clause, and електрик знеструмив розподільний щит is the main clause.

In Ukrainian, subordinate clauses are normally separated by commas. Since the subordinate clause comes first here, the comma appears before the main clause:

Попри те, що генератор працює,
електрик знеструмив розподільний щит.

If you reverse the order, the comma still stays: Електрик знеструмив розподільний щит, попри те, що генератор працює.

This is a very natural question.

• працює = is working / is running
• знеструмив = de-energized / cut power to

The sentence, as written, mixes present and past. That can happen if the speaker sees the generator as still running at the reference point, while the electrician’s action is already completed.

If the intended meaning is entirely in the past, many speakers would find працював more natural: Попри те, що генератор працював, електрик знеструмив розподільний щит.

So the given version is possible, but the tense choice depends on context.

Знеструмив is:

• past tense
• masculine singular
• from the verb знеструмити
• perfective aspect

Why that matters:

• past tense: the action happened already
• masculine singular: it agrees with електрик, which is grammatically masculine
• perfective: the action is viewed as completed

So знеструмив means something like he cut the power or he de-energized it completely, not just that he was in the process of doing it.

The imperfective verb is знеструмлювати.

A past imperfective form could be знеструмлював. That would suggest:

• an ongoing process
• a repeated action
• or a more descriptive background action

Compare:

• знеструмив = he de-energized it, completed the action
• знеструмлював = he was de-energizing it / used to de-energize it

In your sentence, знеструмив is the normal choice because it presents the electrician’s action as a finished event.

Because it is in the accusative case, and for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative usually looks the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: розподільний щит
• accusative: розподільний щит

That is why the object does not visibly change here.

The same applies to the adjective:

• nominative: розподільний
• accusative masculine inanimate: розподільний

Here are the main ones:

• генератор — nominative
  It is the subject of працює.

• електрик — nominative
  It is the subject of знеструмив.

• розподільний щит — accusative
  It is the direct object of знеструмив.

So the sentence has two subjects, one in each clause, and one direct object in the main clause.

Literally, yes: працює comes from працювати, which often means to work.

But with machines, Ukrainian працювати is often best translated into natural English as:

• is running
• is operating
• is functioning

So генератор працює is very natural Ukrainian for the generator is running / operating.

No. The object of the verb is розподільний щит, not генератор.

So the sentence says that the electrician cut power to the distribution panel / switchboard, not necessarily that he turned off the generator itself.

That contrast is exactly why the first clause matters:

• the generator is running
• but the panel was still de-energized

So the generator may still be on, while the switchboard has been made electrically dead.

It is a technical electrical term. Depending on context, it can be translated as:

• distribution board
• distribution panel
• switchboard
• sometimes electrical panel

Word by word:

• розподільний = distribution / distributing
• щит = literally shield or board, but in technical usage it means a panel, cabinet, or board

So this is one of those cases where a literal translation is less helpful than a technical one.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English word order.

For example, you can also say: Електрик знеструмив розподільний щит, попри те, що генератор працює.

The core meaning stays the same. The difference is mostly in emphasis:

• starting with Попри те, що... highlights the contrast first
• starting with Електрик знеструмив... foregrounds the main action first

Both are grammatical.

Because Ukrainian does not have articles like the or a/an.

So:

• генератор can mean a generator or the generator
• електрик can mean an electrician or the electrician
• розподільний щит can mean a/the distribution panel

Which one is meant is understood from context, not from an article.