Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вона звертає увагу на вимову, проте інтонація ще складна. - She pays attention to pronunciation; however, the intonation is still difficult.

Because it’s the direct object of the verb. Увага is a feminine noun in -а; in the Accusative singular, it becomes увагу (книга → книгу, помилка → помилку, увага → увагу).

Why is it на вимову and not на вимова or за вимовою?

The construction звертати увагу на … requires на + Accusative to mark the target/focus of attention. Hence на вимову (Acc.).
Вимова is a feminine -а noun; its Accusative is вимову.
За вимовою (Instrumental with за) is used with different verbs like стежити за (to keep track of, monitor): Вона стежить за вимовою.

What’s the difference between проте, але, and однак?

All can mean “but/however,” but register and tone differ:

але = “but,” the most common, neutral.
проте = “however,” somewhat more formal/literary and concessive.
однак = “however,” also formal/literary; often sentence-initial.

Why is there a comma before проте?

Because проте is a coordinating conjunction linking two independent clauses. Ukrainian punctuation requires a comma before adversative conjunctions like але, проте, однак.

Why is there no є (“is”) in інтонація ще складна?

In the present tense, Ukrainian often omits the copula є. A simple nominal predicate is formed with Nominative:

Інтонація (є) складна. The є is optional in the present.

If I include є, should I say інтонація є складна or інтонація є складною?

With an explicit copula, the predicate adjective typically takes the Instrumental:

Preferred: Інтонація є складною.
Without є, use the Nominative: Інтонація складна.

Can I say Інтонація ще складно?

Not in this structure. Складно is an adverb and doesn’t agree with інтонація. Correct options:

Інтонація ще складна. (subject + adjective)
Impersonal alternative: Мені ще складно з інтонацією. (“It’s still hard for me with intonation.”)

What does ще mean here, and are there alternatives for “still”?

Here ще = “still/yet.” Alternatives:

все ще = “still” (a bit stronger/emphatic): Інтонація все ще складна.
досі = “up to now, still” (often temporal): Інтонація досі складна.

Is the word order rigid? Could I front the object: На вимову вона звертає увагу?

Ukrainian word order is flexible for emphasis. You can say:

Вона звертає увагу на вимову (neutral).
На вимову вона звертає увагу (emphasizes “pronunciation” as the focus).

What about aspect? How is звертає different from звернула/зверне?

звертає (from imperfective звертати) = ongoing/habitual: “pays/is paying attention.”
звернула (perfective звернути) = single, completed action in the past: “paid attention (once/at some point).”
зверне (perfective future) = “will pay attention (once/at some point).”

Can I drop the subject pronoun вона?

Yes, if the subject is clear from context, Ukrainian can omit pronouns:

Звертає увагу на вимову… is possible in context, but 3rd person forms are less informative than 1st/2nd, so keeping вона often helps clarity.

Are there other natural ways to express “pay attention to pronunciation”?

Yes, with slightly different nuances:

Приділяти увагу вимові (to devote attention to pronunciation).
Стежити за вимовою (to keep an eye on/monitor pronunciation).
Працювати над вимовою (to work on pronunciation).
Звернути особливу увагу на вимову (to pay special attention to pronunciation).

Why is it складна and not складний or складною?

Agreement:

Інтонація is feminine singular; the predicate adjective matches: складна (fem. nom. sg.).
складний is masculine.
складною is Instrumental (used if you explicitly say є: інтонація є складною).

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here (e.g., г, ц, я) and stress?

г in Ukrainian is a voiced “h” [ɦ], not a hard “g.”
ц = “ts” (as in “cats”).
я after a vowel gives a “ya” glide.
Useful stress to know here: вона́, зверта́є, ува́гу, інтона́ція. The rest follows regular phonetics.

Could вона refer to інтонація here?

In this sentence, no. Вона is the human subject of the first clause. The second clause introduces a new subject, інтонація. If інтонація had already been mentioned in prior context, you could refer back to it with вона in a following sentence, but here the two clauses have different subjects.

How could I say “She is paying more attention to pronunciation, but intonation is still difficult”?

Вона звертає більше уваги на вимову, проте інтонація ще складна. Note that більше уваги puts увага into the Genitive (уваги) after a quantity word (більше).