Learn Hardcore Russian: Мой рабочий стол стоит у окна.

In Russian, describing where things “are” often uses position verbs like стоять (to stand), лежать (to lie), or висеть (to hang). Стоит is the 3rd person singular present of стоять, literally “stands.” In English we’d say “My desk is by the window,” but Russian gives the nuance of its upright position by using стоит.

Can I use находится instead of стоит, and what’s the difference?

Yes, you can say Мой рабочий стол находится у окна. Находится means “is located” and is more neutral or formal. Стоит, however, emphasizes that the desk is standing (i.e. in its usual position) and is very common in everyday speech for upright objects.

What does у окна mean, and could I say около окна instead?

У окна literally means “at the window’s [side],” implying very close proximity (right next to it).
Около окна also means “near the window” but is a bit more general (“around” or “by”).
Both are correct. Use у when you want to stress that something is immediately next to or touching the window.

Why is the noun окна in the genitive case here?

The preposition у always requires the genitive case. The base form is окно (window, nominative), and its genitive singular is .