Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Не закривай вікно, я все ще читаю. - Don’t close the window; I’m still reading.

Не закривай is the 2nd-person singular negative imperative of the imperfective verb закривати (to close). To make an imperative in Ukrainian, you use the verb’s special imperative form (here закривай) and place the negation particle не directly before it to get the negative command.

What is the difference between закривай and закрий?

Закривай comes from the imperfective verb закривати, focusing on the process or on repeated/habitual actions (“don’t start or keep closing”).
Закрий is the 2nd-person singular imperative of the perfective verb закрити, referring to a single, completed action (“don’t close it once”).
In this context, не закривай politely asks to leave the window open (don’t initiate the closing process), whereas не закрий would strictly ban a one-time closure.

Why does вікно remain unchanged as the object? Shouldn’t the noun form change in the accusative?

Вікно is a neuter inanimate noun. In Ukrainian, nominative and accusative singular forms of neuter inanimate nouns are identical. That’s why вікно looks the same in both subject and object positions.

Why is there a comma before я все ще читаю?

The sentence consists of two independent clauses:

Не закривай вікно (Don’t close the window)
я все ще читаю (I’m still reading)
In Ukrainian, when you join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, you separate them with a comma. This comma marks the pause and connects the command to its justification.

What does все ще mean, and how does it differ from just ще?

Ще means “still” or “yet.”
Все ще literally “all still” intensifies the sense of continuation, like “still yet” or “even now still.” It underscores that the action definitely continues at this very moment.

Why include the pronoun я in я все ще читаю when the verb читаю already indicates “I”?

Ukrainian verbs carry endings that show person and number, so читаю alone means “I read” or “I am reading.” Adding я is optional and serves to emphasize the subject or to clarify who is performing the action, especially in longer or more complex sentences.

Why is the present tense читаю used for an action in progress instead of a special continuous tense?

Ukrainian does not have a distinct continuous (progressive) tense like English. The simple present covers both habitual and ongoing actions. Contextual adverbs such as ще (“still”) signal that the action is happening right now.