Якщо діти не хочуть рис, я швидко варю макарони.

Якщо means if and introduces a condition.

So the structure is:

• Якщо діти не хочуть рис = If the children don’t want rice
• я швидко варю макарони = I quickly cook/boil pasta

It works very much like English if.

In Ukrainian, a subordinate clause introduced by якщо is normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

So:

• Якщо діти не хочуть рис, = subordinate if clause
• я швидко варю макарони. = main clause

This is standard punctuation in Ukrainian.

Діти is the nominative plural form of діти = children.

It is nominative because діти is the subject of the verb хочуть:

• діти хочуть = the children want

Even though діти looks irregular, that is just the normal plural form of this noun.

Because the subject діти is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Хотіти = to want

Present tense:

• я хочу = I want
• ти хочеш = you want
• він/вона хоче = he/she wants
• ми хочемо = we want
• ви хочете = you want
• вони хочуть = they want

Since діти means they, you use хочуть.

Не хочуть simply means do not want.

Here рис is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of хочуть.

But for many inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: рис
• accusative: рис

That is why there is no visible change.

Both can be translated as cook, but they are not exactly the same.

• варити / варю = to boil, to cook by boiling
• готувати / готую = to prepare, to cook in a more general sense

With foods like макарони and often рис, варити is very natural because you usually boil them.

So я швидко варю макарони is literally something like I quickly boil/cook pasta.

In Ukrainian, макарони is commonly used as a plural noun.

So although English often says pasta as an uncountable singular noun, Ukrainian often treats this idea as plural:

• макарони = pasta / macaroni

This is similar to how some foods are grammatically plural in one language but not in another.

It is accusative plural, because it is the direct object of варю.

However, for inanimate plural nouns, the accusative is usually the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative plural: макарони
• accusative plural: макарони

That is why the form does not change.

Швидко means quickly and modifies the verb варю.

Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible, but placing the adverb before the verb is very natural:

• я швидко варю макарони

You could also hear other orders depending on emphasis, for example:

• я варю макарони швидко
• швидко я варю макарони

But the original sentence sounds neutral and natural.

Not necessarily. In Ukrainian, the present tense can also describe:

• a habit
• a general rule
• something that happens whenever the condition is true

So this sentence can mean something like:

• Whenever the children don’t want rice, I quickly cook pasta
• or If the children don’t want rice, I quickly cook pasta

It does not have to mean that this exact situation is happening at this very moment.

Sometimes, but the meaning changes a little.

• Якщо = if → a condition
• Коли = when → more like something expected or tied to time

So:

• Якщо діти не хочуть рис, я швидко варю макарони. = If the children don’t want rice, I quickly cook pasta.
• Коли діти не хочуть рис, я швидко варю макарони. = When the children don’t want rice, I quickly cook pasta.

Both can work, but якщо is the better match for English if.

It is simpler than English in some ways.

In Ukrainian, you usually make the present tense negative by putting не before the verb:

• хочуть = they want
• не хочуть = they do not want

Unlike English, you do not need an extra word like do.

So Ukrainian says literally:

• children not want rice

but in natural English that becomes:

• the children don’t want rice