В ковше уже есть вода.

Because after в meaning in, Russian normally uses the prepositional case when talking about location.

• dictionary form: ковш
• after в for location: в ковше

So:

• в ковше = in the scoop / in the dipper / in the bucket-like container

A useful contrast:

• в ковше = in the scoop (location)
• в ковш = into the scoop (direction, with the accusative case)

So this sentence is about where the water is, not movement into the container.

Ковш can mean several related things depending on context, usually some kind of scoop, dipper, or ladle-like container.

Possible meanings include:

• a dipper
• a scoop
• a ladle
• the bucket of a machine, like an excavator

In this sentence, the exact English word depends on the situation. Grammatically, though, it behaves the same way.

Great question. Russian usually does omit the present-tense to be in simple statements:

• Это вода. = This is water.

But есть in sentences like this is not just a normal is. It often has an existential meaning: there is / there exists / is present.

So:

• В ковше уже есть вода. = There is already water in the scoop.

Here есть emphasizes the presence/existence of water.

If you remove it:

• В ковше уже вода.

that can still be understandable, but it sounds more like The scoop already has water in it / There’s water in it already, often a bit more conversational or context-dependent. With есть, the idea of there is is clearer.

Because вода is the thing that exists/is present in the sentence, so it appears in the nominative.

Structure-wise, this works like:

• В ковше = location
• есть = there is
• вода = water

So вода is the grammatical subject of the existential statement.

Compare:

• В ковше есть вода. = There is water in the scoop.
• В ковше нет воды. = There is no water in the scoop.

Notice that under negation, Russian commonly uses the genitive:

• вода → воды

That contrast is very common and useful to remember.

Уже means already.

It shows that the situation has changed or is true sooner than expected:

• В ковше есть вода. = There is water in the scoop.
• В ковше уже есть вода. = There is already water in the scoop.

So the speaker is implying something like:

• the water wasn’t there before
• or someone expected it not to be there yet
• or the speaker is noting that the scoop is now filled, at least to some extent

Yes, Russian word order is flexible. The version you have is natural and neutral.

This order works well because it presents:

1. the location: в ковше
2. the time nuance: уже
3. the existential verb: есть
4. the thing that exists: вода

Other orders are possible, but they change emphasis:

• Уже в ковше есть вода.
  More emphasis on already.

• Вода уже есть в ковше.
  More focus on water.

• В ковше вода уже есть.
  Often sounds contrastive, like As for the scoop, it already has water.

So your sentence is a very normal way to say it.

They are close, but not always identical in feel.

• В ковше уже есть вода
  clearly expresses there is already water in the scoop

• В ковше уже вода
  can sound more compressed or conversational, with the idea of the scoop already has water in it or there’s water in it already

Using есть makes the existential meaning more explicit. Without есть, Russian relies more on context and intonation.

For learners, есть is a good choice when you want to clearly express there is / there are.

Russian does not have articles like a/an and the.

So вода can mean:

• water
• the water
• sometimes even some water

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English might translate it as:

• There is already water in the scoop
• There is already some water in the scoop

Russian leaves that distinction unstated unless something else makes it clear.

The stress is:

• в ковшЕ уже́ есть водА

A rough pronunciation guide:

• в is pronounced like f here because it comes before the voiceless к
• ковше sounds roughly like kaf-SHE
• уже sounds roughly like oo-ZHE
• есть sounds roughly like yestʹ
• вода sounds roughly like va-DA

A rough full approximation:

• f kaf-SHE oo-ZHE yestʹ va-DA

Important stress points:

• ковше́
• уже́
• вода́

Usually no, not if you mean inside the container.

• в ковше = in the scoop / inside the bucket
• на ковше = on the scoop / on the surface of it

So if the water is contained inside it, в is the normal preposition.

Because у would create a different structure.

• В ковше уже есть вода = There is already water in the scoop
• У ковша уже есть вода would sound like The scoop already has water, but with у + genitive this construction is mainly used with animate possessors or things treated as possessors in a more abstract way

For ordinary physical location inside a container, в ковше is the natural choice.

So Russian prefers the location-based structure here, not the possession structure.

No. Есть вода only says that water is present.

It does not tell you:

• how much water there is
• whether the scoop is full
• whether it is just a little

If you wanted to be more specific, Russian would add something else, for example words meaning a little, a lot, full, and so on.

So В ковше уже есть вода simply means that water is there now.