Малина у забора уже растёт, а яблоня пока ещё стоит без цветов.

In this sentence, у means by / near / next to.

The preposition у requires the genitive case, so:

• забор = fence
• у забора = by the fence / near the fence

This is very common in Russian:

• у дома = by the house
• у окна = by the window
• у дороги = by the road

So Малина у забора means The raspberry bush / raspberry plant by the fence.

Russian малина can mean more than just the fruit raspberries. Depending on context, it can also refer to the raspberry plant / raspberry bush / raspberry patch.

Here, because the sentence says растёт (is growing) and gives a location (у забора), the word is understood as the plant, not the berries themselves.

So in context:

• малина = raspberry plant / raspberry bushes as a kind of plant

Russian often uses a singular noun this way when speaking about a plant type in a general or collective sense.

Because the subject малина is grammatically singular.

Even if English might say something like the raspberries are growing or the raspberry bushes are growing, Russian here uses singular малина, so the verb must also be singular:

• малина растёт = the raspberry plant is growing

Also note the spelling:

• infinitive: расти
• 3rd person singular: растёт

The ё is important here.

They create a contrast in time.

• уже = already
• пока ещё = still / not yet, for now

So the sentence contrasts two situations:

• Малина ... уже растёт = The raspberry plant is already growing
• яблоня пока ещё стоит без цветов = the apple tree still has no flowers yet / is still without flowers for now

This gives the sense that one plant is further along than the other.

Russian а often connects two clauses by contrasting them, especially when comparing two different things or situations.

Here the sentence compares:

• the raspberry plant
• the apple tree

and shows that their conditions are different.

So а is very natural:

• one is already growing,
• whereas the other still has no flowers.

Very roughly:

• а = and/but/whereas, in a contrastive sense
• но = but, often for a stronger contradiction or objection

In this sentence, а sounds more natural because it is a calm comparison, not a sharp opposition.

Yes, literally стоить means to stand, and стоит means stands. But in Russian it is also very natural to use стоять with trees, buildings, objects, etc. to describe them as being there in an upright state.

So:

• яблоня стоит literally = the apple tree stands

In this sentence, it carries a slightly descriptive feel: the tree is there, but it is still without flowers.

English usually would not translate this literally. More natural English would be something like:

• the apple tree still has no blossoms
• the apple tree is still without flowers

So yes, it literally means stands, but the natural meaning is broader.

Because the preposition без (without) requires the genitive case.

The noun is цветы in the nominative plural (flowers), but after без it becomes genitive plural:

• nominative plural: цветы
• genitive plural: цветов

So:

• без цветов = without flowers

This is a very common pattern:

• без сахара = without sugar
• без воды = without water
• без друзей = without friends

Here it naturally means blossoms / blooms on the apple tree.

Russian цветок / цветы can mean flower(s) in general, and in context it can also refer to the blossoms of a fruit tree.

So яблоня стоит без цветов means the apple tree has no blossoms yet.

If you translated it as without flowers, that is grammatically correct, but in this context English speakers often prefer without blossoms or not in bloom yet.

Yes, but the nuance changes a little.

• ещё on its own often means still
• пока on its own often means for now / so far
• пока ещё combines those ideas and sounds like still, for the time being or not yet, so far

So:

• яблоня ещё стоит без цветов = the apple tree is still without flowers
• яблоня пока стоит без цветов = the apple tree is without flowers for now
• яблоня пока ещё стоит без цветов = the apple tree is still without flowers for now

Using both together makes the sentence sound a bit more natural and emphasizes that this is the current temporary situation.

Russian word order is flexible, and this order is natural because it presents the topic first and then the new information.

The structure is roughly:

• Малина у забора = the raspberry plant by the fence
• уже растёт = is already growing

So the sentence first identifies which raspberry plant is meant, then says what is happening.

You could change the word order for emphasis, for example:

• У забора малина уже растёт = By the fence, the raspberry is already growing
• Малина уже растёт у забора = The raspberry is already growing by the fence

These are possible, but the original order sounds smooth and neutral.

The main stresses are:

• мали́на
• у забо́ра
• уже́
• растёт
• яблоня
• пока́ ещё́
• стои́т
• без цвето́в

A few notes:

• растёт is stressed on -тёт, and the ё always carries stress
• ещё also has ё, so it is stressed
• яблоня is stressed on the first syllable: я́блоня

Stress is important in Russian, so it is worth learning these together with the words.

Yes, the best translation depends on context.

Растёт is imperfective present, so it can mean:

• is growing
• grows
• sometimes, in context, has started growing / has come up

Here, because of уже (already), English often prefers:

• is already growing
• has already started growing

So the idea is that the raspberry plant has entered its growing stage, while the apple tree is not blossoming yet.

Yes. Яблоня specifically means apple tree, while дерево means tree in general.

So:

• дерево = tree
• яблоня = apple tree

Russian often uses the specific plant name rather than a general word plus an adjective. English does this too, but Russian learners sometimes expect a structure more like apple tree = apple + tree. In Russian, яблоня is its own noun.

That is why the sentence says:

• яблоня стоит без цветов

not something built from дерево.