Рис уже готовий, тому я ставлю тарілки на стіл.

In Ukrainian, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted in simple statements.

So:

• Рис уже готовий = The rice is already ready / done
• literally: Rice already ready

In the past or future, forms of бути are used more openly:

• Рис був готовий = The rice was ready
• Рис буде готовий = The rice will be ready

Because готовий is an adjective, and adjectives in Ukrainian agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Here, рис is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be masculine singular nominative: готовий.

Compare:

• каша готова = porridge is ready
• яйце готове = the egg is ready
• овочі готові = the vegetables are ready

It means both, depending on context.

With food, готовий often means:

• ready
• done
• cooked

So Рис уже готовий is a very natural way to say that the rice has finished cooking and is ready to serve.

Yes. уже and вже both mean already.

They are very close in meaning, and the choice is often about sound and style rather than grammar. Ukrainian often alternates у-/в- forms for euphony.

So these are both possible:

• Рис уже готовий
• Рис вже готовий

Both are natural.

Here тому means so, therefore, or for that reason.

That is different from тому що, which means because.

So:

• Рис уже готовий, тому я ставлю тарілки на стіл.
  = The rice is ready, so I’m putting the plates on the table.

But:

• Я ставлю тарілки на стіл, тому що рис уже готовий.
  = I’m putting the plates on the table because the rice is ready.

This is a very common point of confusion:

• тому = so / therefore
• тому що = because

Because the sentence has two clauses:

• Рис уже готовий
• тому я ставлю тарілки на стіл

In Ukrainian, when clauses are linked like this, a comma is normally used. So the comma here is standard punctuation.

Ставлю is from ставити, which often means to put / set / place something onto a surface or into position.

With tableware, ставити is very natural, especially in the sense of setting the table or placing dishes where they belong.

English uses one broad verb, put, but Ukrainian often chooses a more specific verb depending on the kind of placement:

• ставити = set/place
• класти = lay/put down
• вішати = hang

So ставлю тарілки на стіл feels like I’m setting the plates on the table, which fits the situation well.

Ставлю is the present tense of the imperfective verb ставити.

In Ukrainian, the present tense of an imperfective verb can mean:

• a general/habitual action: I put / I set
• an action happening now: I am putting / I am setting

Context tells you which one is meant. In this sentence, because the rice is ready and the speaker is reacting to that, the meaning is naturally I’m putting / I’m setting.

If you used the perfective verb поставити, the form поставлю would usually mean future:

• я поставлю = I will put / I will set

Тарілки is the accusative plural here, because it is the direct object of ставлю.

The useful thing to know is that for inanimate plural nouns, the accusative plural is usually the same as the nominative plural.

So:

• nominative plural: тарілки
• accusative plural: тарілки

That is why the form does not change visibly here.

This is a very important Ukrainian pattern:

• на + accusative = movement onto something
• на + locative = location on something

Here the plates are being moved to the table, so Ukrainian uses на стіл:

• ставлю тарілки на стіл = I put the plates onto the table

If you were describing where they already are, you would use на столі:

• Тарілки на столі = The plates are on the table

Because Ukrainian has no articles.

So:

• рис can mean rice or the rice
• тарілки can mean plates or the plates
• стіл can mean a table or the table

The exact meaning comes from context. In this sentence, English would naturally use the rice, the plates, and the table, but Ukrainian does not need separate words for that.

The word order is fairly flexible, but this version sounds neutral and natural.

Рис уже готовий, тому я ставлю тарілки на стіл presents:

1. the situation
2. the result

You can change the order for emphasis, but the focus changes too. For example:

• Я ставлю тарілки на стіл, тому що рис уже готовий.
  = emphasizes the action first and uses because

• Тарілки я ставлю на стіл.
  = emphasizes the plates

So the original sentence is a normal, straightforward way to say it.