Breakdown of Рассада помидоров стояла на подоконнике рядом с лейкой и ждала тёплой погоды.
с
with
стоять
to stand
рядом
next to
и
and
Questions & Answers about Рассада помидоров стояла на подоконнике рядом с лейкой и ждала тёплой погоды.
Why is рассада treated as singular, even though in English we would often say seedlings?
Рассада is a singular collective noun in Russian. It refers to a mass or group of young plants as a single whole, much like English foliage or vegetation.
So:
- рассада стояла = the seedlings were standing / the tomato seedlings stood
- not стояли, because the grammatical subject is singular
This is why the verbs стояла and ждала are both in the feminine singular past form.
Why is it помидоров and not помидоры?
Because помидоров is in the genitive plural.
In рассада помидоров, the noun помидоров tells you what kind of seedlings they are:
- рассада чего? → помидоров
This is a very common Russian pattern:
- чашка чая = a cup of tea
- бутылка воды = a bottle of water
- рассада помидоров = tomato seedlings / seedlings of tomatoes
So помидоров is not the subject. It depends on рассада and specifies the type.
Why are the verbs стояла and feminine?