Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Вона варить яйце і кладе сир на бутерброд. - She boils an egg and puts cheese on the sandwich.

“вона варить” = she boils / is boiling (from варити “to boil, cook in water”).
“вона кладе” = she puts / is putting (from класти “to put/lay (down)”). Ukrainian present covers both “is doing now” and “does (habitually).”

Why is it кладе and not something like ставить or ложить?

Use класти/покласти for laying something down horizontally (perfective: покласти).
ставити/поставити is “to stand something up” (upright position).
ложити/ложить is non‑standard in Ukrainian (a Russicism). Say класти/покласти, not “ложити.”

Why is it “на бутерброд” and not “на бутерброді”?

Because of motion vs. location:

на + Accusative = onto (motion/placement): “кладе сир на бутерброд.”
на + Locative = on (location): “сир лежить на бутерброді.”

Why are there no words for “a/the”? How do I know if it’s “an egg” or “the egg”?

Ukrainian has no articles. Context (and sometimes word order or demonstratives like цей/та/той) tells you whether it’s specific or general.

Why doesn’t сир change form even though it’s a direct object?

For inanimate masculine nouns, the Accusative = Nominative, so сир stays сир. Neuter inanimate nouns like яйце also have identical Nom/Acc. Animate masculines do change (e.g., бачу кота).

Can the sentence mean both “She is boiling an egg right now” and “She boils an egg (generally)”?

Yes. Ukrainian present can be progressive or habitual. To make “right now” explicit, add an adverb: зараз, тепер. For habit, add frequency words: зазвичай, часто, etc.

How do I say it as a single completed action (aspect)?

Use perfective verbs:

Future single event: Вона зварить яйце і покладе сир на бутерброд.
Past completed: Вона зварила яйце і поклала сир на бутерброд. Here зварити/покласти are perfective (completed).

What are the plural forms for “яйце” and “бутерброд”? How do numbers work with “eggs”?

яйце → plural яйця (Nom/Acc), Genitive plural яєць. With numbers:
2–4: два/три/чотири яйця; 5+ : п’ять яєць.
бутерброд → plural бутерброди.

Is бутерброд exactly the same as “sandwich”?

Roughly, yes, but with nuance:

бутерброд often implies a simple/open‑faced sandwich (bread + topping), but many speakers also use it for any sandwich.
сендвіч tends to mean a “sandwich” in the Western sense (usually two slices). Both are common.

Can I switch the word order to “Вона кладе на бутерброд сир”? Is that still correct?

Yes. Ukrainian word order is flexible. Both:

Вона кладе сир на бутерброд (neutral/default),
Вона кладе на бутерброд сир are correct. Moving parts can shift emphasis (e.g., focusing on the location vs. the item).

Can I drop the subject pronoun and just say “Варить яйце і кладе сир …”?

Yes, if the subject is clear from context. Ukrainian often omits subject pronouns. Including вона is fine when you want to be explicit or introduce a new subject.

Can I use й instead of і? What about та?

й is a phonetic variant of і used to avoid a clash of vowels (e.g., after a vowel or before one): “… яйце й кладе …”. Both are correct here.
та also means “and” (a bit more literary) but can sometimes mean “but” in contrasts. In this sentence, і/й are most neutral.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words in this sentence?

Watch the stress:

вонá, яйцé, кладé, бутербрóд.
Also, и (as in сир) is a short, central vowel (not like English “ee”).

Could I say “кладе сир на хліб” instead of “на бутерброд”? Is there a difference?

Yes, and it’s natural:

на хліб = onto (a piece of) bread.
на бутерброд = onto a (prepared) sandwich/open-faced slice. The second implies the “sandwich” concept, not just plain bread.