Заявитель проверяет документы.

• Заявитель = a noun: applicant / claimant
• проверяет = a verb: checks / is checking
• документы = a noun in the plural: documents

So the basic structure is:

noun + verb + object

That is a very normal Russian sentence pattern.

Because it is the 3rd person singular form of the verb проверять (to check, to inspect, to verify).

The present-tense forms are:

• я проверяю = I check / am checking
• ты проверяешь = you check
• он / она проверяет = he / she checks
• мы проверяем = we check
• вы проверяете = you check
• они проверяют = they check

Since заявитель is he/she/it grammatically singular, the verb must be проверяет.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• he checks
• he is checking

So Заявитель проверяет документы could mean:

• The applicant checks the documents
• The applicant is checking the documents

Russian usually does not force you to choose between simple present and present continuous the way English often does.

Because it is the direct object of the verb проверяет, so it is in the accusative case.

The noun is:

• singular: документ
• plural: документы

For inanimate masculine nouns in the plural, the accusative plural is the same as the nominative plural.

So:

• nominative plural: документы
• accusative plural: документы

That is why the object looks the same as the dictionary plural form.

Because Russian has no articles.

So Russian nouns can mean:

• a document
• the document
• documents
• the documents

depending on context.

In this sentence, документы simply means documents / the documents. The exact English choice depends on the situation.

The most neutral word order is:

Заявитель проверяет документы.
Subject + verb + object

Yes, Russian word order is more flexible than English because case endings help show each word’s role.

Possible alternatives include:

• Документы проверяет заявитель.
• Проверяет документы заявитель.

These can sound more marked, contrastive, or stylistic. The original version is the most neutral and textbook-like.

Проверять is imperfective.

That means it is used for:

• ongoing actions
• repeated actions
• general processes

Its perfective partner is usually проверить.

So:

• Заявитель проверяет документы. = The applicant is checking / checks the documents.
• Заявитель проверит документы. = The applicant will check the documents / will complete the checking.

A very important point: in Russian, a perfective verb does not have a true present tense. A form like проверит refers to the future.

The stress is:

заяви́тель проверя́ет докуме́нты

A rough pronunciation guide:

• заяви́тель ≈ za-ya-VEE-tyel'
• проверя́ет ≈ pra-vye-RYA-yet
• докуме́нты ≈ da-ku-MYEN-ty

A few useful notes:

• Unstressed о is often pronounced more like a.
• The soft sign ь in заявитель makes the final л soft.
• Stress is important in Russian and must often be learned word by word.

Grammatically, заявитель is a masculine noun.

But in official or legal language, it can often refer to a person of either gender, especially in formal contexts. Russian often uses masculine forms as default dictionary forms or legal labels.

If you specifically want a feminine everyday form, you may sometimes see заявительница, but in official documents заявитель is very common for a person of any gender.

So in this sentence, the word is grammatically masculine, but the real person could be male or female depending on context.

It is common mainly in formal, bureaucratic, legal, and administrative contexts.

Typical places you might see it:

• forms
• applications
• immigration paperwork
• court or police documents
• government offices

In everyday speech, depending on context, a Russian speaker might use a different word such as:

• человек = person
• клиент = client
• подающий заявление = person submitting an application

So заявитель sounds quite official.

Yes. For example:

• Заявитель проверяет документ. = The applicant is checking the document.
• Заявитель проверяет паспорт. = The applicant is checking the passport.
• Заявитель проверяет заявление. = The applicant is checking the application.

The case would still be accusative, but the exact form depends on the noun:

• документ → документ (inanimate masculine singular: same as nominative)
• паспорт → паспорт
• заявление → заявление

So the object changes form according to its gender, number, and animacy.

You add не before the verb:

Заявитель не проверяет документы.

This means:

• The applicant does not check the documents
• The applicant is not checking the documents

That is the normal way to negate a present-tense Russian verb.

It can do either, depending on context.

Because the verb is imperfective, the sentence may describe:

• a process happening now
• a regular duty
• a repeated action

For example:

• in a live scene: The applicant is checking the documents
• in a general description: The applicant checks the documents

Context tells you which meaning is intended.