Я чекаю друга вже десять хвилин.

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Breakdown of Я чекаю друга вже десять хвилин.

• друг: the friend
• чекати: to wait
• вже: already

Questions & Answers about Я чекаю друга вже десять хвилин.

What tense and aspect is the verb чекаю, and how does Ukrainian express the English “have been waiting”?

чекаю is present tense, imperfective aspect. In Ukrainian, ongoing actions like “I have been waiting” use the imperfective present:

• Я чекаю = “I am waiting” or “I have been waiting” (context tells you how long).
  To stress the duration, you add a time phrase, often with вже (“already”).

Why does друга end in -а? Which case is it?

друга here is the accusative case (direct object). In Ukrainian, masculine animate nouns form the accusative exactly like the genitive. So:

• Nominative: друг (“friend”)
• Accusative (animate): друга

Does the verb чекати require a preposition before its object, as in English “wait for”?

No. чекати is a transitive verb meaning “to wait (for).” You simply put its object in the accusative (animate) without any preposition:

• Чекаю друга = “I’m waiting for a friend.”

What does вже mean, and why is it used here?

вже means “already.” In this sentence, it emphasizes that the waiting has continued up to now, making it equivalent to English “have already been waiting.” Placement is flexible, but it usually sits before the time expression or verb.