Questions & Answers about В вазе стоит лилия.
Why is it в вазе and not в ваза?
Because after в when it means in and answers the question where?, Russian uses the prepositional case.
- ваза = dictionary form, nominative
- в вазе = in the vase, prepositional
So:
- ваза → в вазе
- книга → в книге
- комната → в комнате
Here, в вазе is a location phrase: in the vase.
Why does the sentence use стоит?
Russian often uses different verbs depending on the physical position of something.
- стоять = to stand
- лежать = to lie
- висеть = to hang
A flower in a vase is conceptualized as standing upright, so Russian naturally says лилия стоит.
This is very normal in Russian, even where English might simply say there is or is.
Compare:
- На столе стоит ваза. = A vase is standing on the table.
- На столе лежит книга. = A book is lying on the table.
- На стене висит картина. = A picture is hanging on the wall.
So стоит is not strange here—it is the most natural choice.