Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Пил лежить на столі, тож я беру пилосос. - Dust lies on the table, so I take the vacuum cleaner.

лежить literally means “lies,” so it emphasizes that the dust is resting on the surface.
You can say the shorter nominal sentence Пил на столі; it’s natural and neutral.
For existence, you’d typically say На столі є пил (“There is dust on the table”). The version Пил є на столі is uncommon and sounds marked/over‑emphatic in the present tense, because Ukrainian usually drops є in plain present statements.

Why is it на столі and not на стіл?

на
- Locative = location (no movement): пил лежить на столі (“dust lies on the table”).
на
- Accusative = direction (movement onto): кладу книжку на стіл (“I’m putting the book onto the table”).
Since лежить describes a static location, Locative (на столі) is required.

Why на столі, not на столу?

What does тож mean, and how is it different from тому, так що, or отже?

тож = “so/therefore,” neutral and common in writing and careful speech. Comma before it is standard: …, тож …
тому = “therefore,” a bit more formal/explicit: …, тому я беру пилосос.
так що = “so,” more conversational: …, так що я беру пилосос.
отже = “thus/hence,” formal/summary-like.
Don’t confuse with тому що (“because”), which would reverse the logic.

Why is it беру and not візьму?

беру (from брати) is imperfective present: “I’m (now) taking / I take.”
візьму (from взяти) is perfective future: “I will take (and get it).”
If you mean a decision just made or a near-future action, …, тож візьму пилосос is also natural.

Can I use a verb meaning “to vacuum” instead of “I take the vacuum”?

Yes: пилососити = “to vacuum.”
- 1st person singular present: я пилосошу (“I’m vacuuming”) — standard (sound change с → ш before -у).
- 3rd person singular: він/вона пилососить.
Perfective for a single completed session: пропилососити → я пропилосошу (“I’ll vacuum (and finish)”).
You may hear пилососю colloquially, but пилосошу is the standard form.

Why is it беру пилосос and not беру пилососа?

Accusative of inanimate masculine nouns = Nominative: беру пилосос.
Animate masculine often use the Genitive in Accusative contexts: беру кота (“I’m taking the cat”).

What’s the gender and countability of пил?

пил is a masculine mass noun (no plural in ordinary use).
You’ll see forms like: цей пил (this dust), нема пилу / багато пилу (Genitive singular).
Colloquial near-synonym: пилюка (feminine), often implying fluffy/visible dust; more informal.

Can I drop the pronoun я?

Yes. Ukrainian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear.
…, тож беру пилосос is perfectly fine. Keeping я can add emphasis or clarity.

Are other word orders natural?

Ukrainian allows flexible word order for emphasis:
- На столі лежить пил, тож я беру пилосос. (Focus on location)
- На столі пил, тож беру пилосос. (Short, conversational)
- Пил на столі, тож беру пилосос. (States fact, then action)
The original order is the most neutral/clear.

Do I need the comma before тож?

Yes. тож is a coordinating conjunction, and standard punctuation puts a comma before it: …, тож …

Pronunciation and stress tips for this sentence?

Could I use по столі instead of на столі?

Not for simple “on the table.” по столі suggests distribution/movement over the surface:
- Пил розсипаний по всьому столі (“Dust is scattered all over the table”).
For a static location, stick with на столі.

Why use лежить for dust? What other posture verbs are common?

Ukrainian often uses posture verbs for where things are:
- лежить = lies on a horizontal surface (dust, a book).
- стоїть = stands upright (a bottle, a vase).
- висить = hangs (a picture).
Dust naturally “lies” → Пил лежить…

Is пил ever replaced by something else in everyday speech?

Neutral: пил.
Informal/colloquial: пилюка (feminine), often when there’s a lot of visible dust: На столі повно пилюки.
Avoid порох for “dust” in modern Ukrainian—it usually means “gunpowder.”