Ввечері я вимикаю телевізор перед сном.

In the evening I turn off the TV before sleep.

Breakdown of Ввечері я вимикаю телевізор перед сном.

• я: I
• ввечері: in the evening
• сон: the sleep
• вимикати: to turn off
• перед: before
• телевізор: the TV

Questions & Answers about Ввечері я вимикаю телевізор перед сном.

What part of speech is ввечері, and how is it different from the noun вечір?

ввечері is an adverb meaning “in the evening.” It tells you when something happens.

• вечір is a noun (“evening” as a time of day or social event).
• ввечері is derived from вечір but functions as a time-adverb (“in the evening I read,” ввечері я читаю).

Could I use у вечері instead of ввечері?

Yes. у вечері (literally “in the evening”) is a prepositional phrase, while ввечері is one adverbial word. Both are correct, but:

• ввечері is more concise and common in speech and writing.
• у вечері can add slight emphasis on the time frame (e.g. contrasting mornings and evenings).

What form of the verb is вимикаю, and why isn’t it perfective?

вимикаю is the first-person-singular present-tense of the imperfective verb вимикати (“to turn off”).

• Imperfective verbs express habitual, repeated, or ongoing actions. Here it shows a routine: “I turn off the TV (every evening).”
• If you want to say “I will turn off the TV (once, tonight),” use the perfective вимкну: Я вимкну телевізор.

Why is телевізор in this form? Shouldn’t it change in the accusative?

телевізор is the direct object of вимикаю, so it takes the accusative case. Because телевізор is an inanimate masculine noun ending in a consonant, its accusative form is identical to the nominative: телевізор.

Why do we say перед сном? What case is сном?

The preposition перед (“before”) requires the instrumental case.

• The noun сон (“sleep”) in the instrumental is сном.
• So перед сном literally means “before (going to) sleep.”
  You could also say до сну (“up to sleep”), which uses the genitive (сну), but перед сном is more idiomatic for “just before sleeping.”

Can I drop the pronoun я and just say Ввечері вимикаю телевізор перед сном?

Yes. Ukrainian verbs carry person and number endings, so the subject pronoun is optional and often omitted if clear from context. Including я adds emphasis or clarity.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Я перед сном вимикаю телевізор ввечері?

Ukrainian word order is quite flexible. Moving ввечері or перед сном can shift emphasis:

• Fronting ввечері highlights “when.”
• Fronting перед сном highlights “right before sleeping.”
  But the canonical order is Time – Subject – Verb – Object – Additional Time Phrase, as in the original sentence.

Where do I place the stress in ввечері and вимикаю?

• ввечері – stress on the second syllable: ввеЧЕрі.
• вимикаю – stress on the third syllable: вимиКАю.

Are there synonyms for вимикаю when talking about switches or power?

Yes. Common alternatives:

• виключаю (from виключати) – also “to switch off/disable.”
• відключаю (from відключати) – often “to disconnect” (e.g. power, service).
  All can be used for electronics, though вимикати is the most direct for “turn off (a device).”