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Попри дощ, офіціант швидко приходить до столу.

Попри дощ, офіціант швидко приходить до столу.
Despite the rain, the waiter quickly comes to the table.
FromLesson 19inHardcore Ukrainian
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Breakdown of Попри дощ, офіціант швидко приходить до столу.

до
to
стіл
the table
дощ
the rain
приходити
to come
швидко
quickly
офіціант
the waiter
попри
despite
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Questions & Answers about Попри дощ, офіціант швидко приходить до столу.

Which case does the preposition bolded here take: bolded: попри? Why is it дощ, not дощу?
Попри governs the accusative case. Дощ is an inanimate masculine noun whose accusative equals the nominative, so the form stays дощ. Дощу is genitive (and also dative), which would be incorrect after попри. Compare: попри негоду (feminine acc. негоду), попри вітер (masc. acc. вітер).
What case does до require, and why is it до столу?
До always takes the genitive case. The genitive singular of стіл has two standard variants: столу and стола. In the collocation meaning motion toward a piece of furniture, до столу is the most idiomatic; до стола is also correct but less common here.
Is приходить до столу idiomatic, or is підходить до столу better?
Native usage strongly prefers підходити до столу for “to come up to/approach the table.” Приходити is “to come/arrive” in a broader sense and is more typical with destinations like places or events. A more natural sentence is: Попри дощ, офіціант швидко підходить до столу.
Why present tense (приходить/підходить)? Does it mean “right now” or “habitually”?

Imperfective present in Ukrainian can mean:

  • a current, unfolding action (narrative/commentary present): “He is coming up (now).”
  • a general/habitual action: “Whenever it rains, the waiter comes quickly.”

For a single completed past event use perfective: Попри дощ, офіціант швидко підійшов до столу. For a single future event: … швидко підійде …

Do we need the comma after Попри дощ?
It isn’t required. Попри is a preposition, and a short initial prepositional phrase normally isn’t set off by a comma: Попри дощ офіціант швидко підходить до столу. Writers sometimes add a comma to mark an intonational pause, so both versions are seen. In careful formal writing, omitting the comma here is the safer choice.
Where should швидко go? Can I use швидкий instead?
  • Neutral: офіціант швидко підходить …
  • With extra emphasis on the manner: офіціант підходить швидко …
  • Strong focus (marked): Швидко офіціант підходить …

Use adverb швидко (“quickly”). Швидкий is an adjective (“quick/fast”) and doesn’t fit here.

What’s the difference between до столу, за стіл, and за столом?
  • до столу: motion toward/up to the table (approach).
  • за стіл: motion to a position at/behind the table (to take a seat/position), e.g., сісти за стіл.
  • за столом: location at the table (no motion), e.g., він стоїть/сидить за столом.
Are there good synonyms for попри?

Yes:

  • незважаючи на
    • accusative: незважаючи на дощ.
  • всупереч
    • dative: всупереч дощу.

Style notes:

  • попри is short and neutral.
  • незважаючи на is equally common but a bit heavier.
  • всупереч is stronger (“contrary to”).

Caution: незважаючи на (one word) = “despite.” The two-word не зважаючи на means “not paying attention to …” (a participial construction) and is different in meaning and punctuation.

Can I move Попри дощ to the end?
Yes: Офіціант швидко підходить до столу, попри дощ. Sentence-final concessive modifiers are typically set off by a comma. Initial position without a comma is also fine, as noted above.
How would I express this in past or future?
  • Past, completed (perfective): Попри дощ, офіціант швидко підійшов до столу.
  • Future, single event (perfective): Попри дощ, офіціант швидко підійде до столу.
  • Habitual past (imperfective): Попри дощ, офіціант часто швидко підходив до столу.
How does the sentence change if the waiter is female?

Use офіціантка. The present-tense verb form stays the same in 3rd person singular:

  • Попри дощ, офіціантка швидко підходить до столу. In the past, the verb agrees in gender:
  • Попри дощ, офіціантка швидко підійшла до столу.
Why is there no “the” before “waiter” or “table”?

Ukrainian has no articles. Definiteness comes from context or demonstratives:

  • цей офіціант = “this/the waiter”
  • до цього столу = “to this/the table”
Can I use скоро instead of швидко?
No in modern standard Ukrainian. Скоро means “soon,” not “quickly.” Use швидко (or colloquial швиденько) for “quickly.”
Why not к столу?
Ukrainian expresses “to(ward)” with до + genitive, so до столу is correct. К is Russian; in Ukrainian it appears only in a few fixed or archaic expressions.