Breakdown of На столе стоит кружка с горячим чаем, и рядом лежит салфетка.
с
with
стоять
to stand
стол
the table
и
and
на
on
лежать
to lie
чай
the tea
рядом
nearby
горячий
hot
кружка
the mug
салфетка
the napkin
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Questions & Answers about На столе стоит кружка с горячим чаем, и рядом лежит салфетка.
Why is there no verb “is” in the Russian sentence “На столе стоит кружка с горячим чаем, и рядом лежит салфетка”?
In the present tense Russian typically omits the copula “to be.” So instead of saying “На столе есть кружка…,” we simply say “На столе стоит кружка…,” which literally reads “On the table stands a mug….”
What case is столе, and why is it used here?
столе is in the Prepositional case. The preposition на when indicating location (“where?”) requires the Prepositional case. Together на столе functions as an adverbial modifier of place (“on the table”).
Why is кружка in the Nominative case?
Because кружка is the grammatical subject of the verb стоит. In Russian, subjects of verbs are in the Nominative case.
Why does the phrase “с горячим чаем” use с + Instrumental, rather than Genitive?
The preposition с meaning “with” always takes the Instrumental case. Here it indicates that the mug contains hot tea or that the tea is “accompanying” the mug. Hence чай → чаем, горячий → горячим.
What’s the difference between кружка горячего чая and кружка с горячим чаем?
Both can translate as “a mug of hot tea,” but:
- кружка горячего чая uses the Genitive case to specify content directly (“mug of hot tea”).
- кружка с горячим чаем uses “with + Instrumental” to describe what comes with the mug. The second form often feels a bit more descriptive or conversational.
Why do we use стоит with кружка and лежит with салфетка?
Russian has special verbs of location:
- стоять (“to stand”) is used for objects in an upright position (like a mug).
- лежать (“to lie”) is used for objects in a horizontal or flat position (like a napkin).
What part of speech is рядом, and how does it function here?
рядом is an adverb of place meaning “nearby” or “next to.” In the sentence it modifies the verb лежит, telling us where the napkin lies.
Why is there a comma before и in “…, и рядом лежит салфетка”?
Because the sentence joins two independent clauses with different subjects (кружка in the first clause, салфетка in the second). Russian punctuation requires a comma before и when it links separate clauses like these.
Could I swap the order to say Салфетка лежит рядом, а кружка стоит на столе?
Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible. Swapping parts changes emphasis slightly but keeps the same meaning: “The napkin lies next to it, and the mug stands on the table.”