Learn Hardcore Russian: Моё пальто висит в шкафу.

No. Пальто is indeclinable: it has the same form in all cases and in the plural. The words around it (pronouns, adjectives, verbs) show the grammar:

singular: моё пальто висит
plural: мои пальто висят

Why is it «в шкафу» and not the more expected «в шкафе»?

Many masculine nouns have a special “locative” prepositional ending -у/-ю after в/на to express location. Шкаф is one of them: say о шкафе (about the closet) but в шкафу / на шкафу (in/on the closet). Other examples: в лесу, в саду, на мосту, в углу.

Which case does «в» use here, and what’s the rule?

Here в takes the prepositional case to show location: в шкафу = in the closet. For motion into, use the accusative: в шкаф (into the closet), e.g., повесил пальто в шкаф.

What exactly does «висит» mean, and how is it different from «вешать/повесить»?

Висит is the 3rd‑person singular present of висеть “to be hanging” (intransitive, a state). Вешать/повесить mean “to hang (something)” (transitive, action): Я вешаю/повесил пальто в шкаф. Compare: Пальто висит в шкафу (state) vs Я повесил пальто в шкаф (completed action).

Can I just say «Моё пальто в шкафу» without «висит»?

Yes. That’s a neutral “My coat is in the closet.” Adding висит specifies posture (it’s hanging, not lying). The present‑tense “is” (есть) is normally omitted; Моё пальто есть в шкафу is used only for emphasis (e.g., in an inventory).

Is «В шкафу висит моё пальто» also correct?

Yes. Russian word order is flexible. Putting моё пальто last often makes it the new or emphasized information; the version in your prompt emphasizes the location/state a bit more.

How would I say “My coats are hanging in the closet”?

Мои пальто висят в шкафу. Note the plural pronoun мои, the plural verb висят, and the noun пальто stays the same in the plural.

Can I say «на шкафу»? What’s the difference between «в» and «на» here?

Yes. В шкафу = inside the closet. На шкафу = on top of the closet. So use в for “in,” на for “on.”

Why does the «в» in «в шкафу» sound like “f”?

Before a voiceless consonant like ш, в is commonly devoiced in fluent speech, so в шкафу is often pronounced like [f shkafu]. That’s normal assimilation across the word boundary.

Where is the stress in each word?

моЁ пальтÓ висИ́т в шкафУ́. Tips:

ё is always stressed and pronounced “yo” (so моё = ma‑YO).
пальто is stressed on the final о.
висит is stressed on the last syllable (not like English “visit”).
шкафу is stressed on у.

Can I drop the possessive pronoun «моё»?

Yes. If it’s clear from context whose coat it is, Пальто висит в шкафу is natural. Using моё adds clarity or contrast (e.g., not someone else’s coat).

Should I use «своё» instead of «моё»?

Not in this exact sentence: the subject is пальто, so своё would mean “its own,” which is odd. But when the subject is “I/we/etc.”, свой is preferred: Я повесил своё пальто в шкаф (more idiomatic than моё here).

What’s the difference between «шкаф», «гардероб», and related words?

шкаф: a closet/wardrobe/cabinet (the piece of furniture, including built‑ins).
гардероб: a wardrobe in the sense of a collection of clothes, or a coat check; as furniture, it’s less common in everyday speech.
гардеробная: a walk‑in closet/dressing room.
шкаф‑купе: a sliding‑door wardrobe.
кладовка: a storage closet/pantry (a small room).

Is there a perfective partner for «висеть»?

There’s no direct perfective “to be hanging.” To express the transition into a hanging state, use повиснуть (intransitive): Пальто повисло на крючке = “The coat ended up hanging on the hook.”

How do I talk about «шкаф» in other cases?

Nominative: шкаф (Это шкаф.)
Genitive: шкафа (Нет шкафа.)
Dative: шкафу (К шкафу подошёл кот.)
Accusative: шкаф (Поставил стол к шкаф.)
Instrumental: шкафом (Перед шкафом.)
Prepositional (about): о шкафе (Говорим о шкафе.)
Special locative (place with в/на): в/на шкафу (Пальто в шкафу; коробка на шкафу.)

Any common pronunciation pitfalls in the sentence?

Don’t read висит like English “visit”; it’s vi‑SEET.
The ль in пальто is palatalized (soft “l”).
Russians often print ё as е, so you might see мое пальто, but still say моё (yo).