Breakdown of Ложки лежат на столе рядом с чашкой.
стол
the table
на
on
лежать
to lie
рядом с
next to
чашка
the cup
ложка
the spoon
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ложки лежат на столе рядом с чашкой.
Why is ложки in the nominative plural form rather than singular or another case?
Because ложки (“spoons”) is the grammatical subject of this sentence. In Russian, subjects typically appear in the nominative case. Here we are talking about multiple spoons, so we use the nominative plural.
How do you form the nominative plural of ложка?
Ложка is a feminine noun ending in -а. To form its nominative plural you:
- Drop the -а.
- Add -и.
Hence ложка → ложки.
Why is столе in the prepositional case?
The preposition на (meaning “on”) when indicating location takes the prepositional case. The base noun стол (“table”) in the prepositional singular becomes столе (ending -е for masculine nouns).
What does рядом с mean and why is it followed by the instrumental case (чашкой)?
Рядом с means “next to” or “beside.” In Russian, рядом is an adverb that requires the preposition с plus the instrumental case to show proximity. That’s why чашка (“cup”) becomes чашкой in the instrumental singular.
Can you say рядом чашкой without the с?
No. The fixed expression for “next to” is рядом с + [instrumental]. Omitting с would be ungrammatical in standard Russian.
Why is the verb лежат used here instead of стоят or сидят?
Russian has different verbs of location depending on the object’s orientation:
- лежать for things lying flat,
- стоять for things standing upright,
- сидеть for animate beings or anthropomorphized objects in a sitting posture.
Spoons lie flat, so we use лежат (they lie).
Is there any word order flexibility in this sentence?
Yes, Russian permits relatively free word order for emphasis:
- Ложки лежат на столе рядом с чашкой. (neutral)
- На столе рядом с чашкой лежат ложки. (emphasizes location)
- Рядом с чашкой на столе лежат ложки. (emphasizes “next to the cup”)
All mean essentially the same but shift the focus.
Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” in the translation?
Russian does not have grammatical articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is inferred from context or word order, not by separate words.
Where is the stress in столе and чашкой, and how are they pronounced?
- столе is pronounced [stɐˈlʲe], with stress on the second syllable: столЕ.
- чашкой is pronounced [ˈtʂaʂkəj], with stress remaining on the first syllable: чÁшкой.