На прилавке лежит старьё.

Because на is being used to show location here: on the counter / on the stall / on the shop counter.

When на means on, at in a static sense, it normally takes the prepositional case:

• на столе = on the table
• на полке = on the shelf
• на прилавке = on the counter

So:

• dictionary form: прилавок
• prepositional singular: на прилавке

If there were movement onto the counter, Russian would use a different case:

• положить на прилавок = to put onto the counter

So the contrast is:

• на прилавке = on the counter, located there
• на прилавок = onto the counter, motion toward it

Прилавок usually means a shop counter, sales counter, or a market stall counter/display surface.

It is more specific than just table:

• стол = table
• прилавок = counter where goods are displayed or sold

So this sentence gives a small shop/market kind of image: some old junk is lying on a sales counter or stall.

Лежит is the 3rd person singular form of лежать = to lie, to be lying, to be in a lying position.

Russian often uses different verbs depending on how something is positioned:

• лежать = lie
• стоять = stand
• висеть = hang

So На прилавке лежит старьё is literally something like:

• Old junk is lying on the counter

This sounds natural in Russian because Russian often describes the physical position of objects more explicitly than English does.

Because старьё is grammatically a singular neuter noun, even though it refers to a collection of old things.

This is very common with mass nouns or collective nouns. In English, compare:

• The furniture is old
• not The furniture are old

Similarly in Russian:

• старьё лежит
• not старьё лежат

So even if there are many objects, the word старьё itself behaves as a singular noun.

Старьё is a collective / mass noun meaning something like old junk, old stuff, old tat, old rubbish.

A few important points:

• It is neuter
• It is grammatically singular
• It is usually colloquial
• It often sounds dismissive or negative

So it does not just mean old things in a neutral way. It suggests that the speaker sees them as worthless, shabby, or junky.

If you wanted something more neutral, you might use different wording depending on context.

The word is pronounced with stress on the last syllable: старьё.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• старьё ≈ star-YO

The letter ё always indicates the sound yo and is always stressed.

Also notice the soft sign ь before ё. It softens the preceding consonant, so the р is soft.

That gives the word its characteristic sound:

• старьё = star-ryó (roughly)

In printed Russian, ё is sometimes written as е, so you may also see старье, but it is still pronounced старьё.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and both versions are grammatical.

• На прилавке лежит старьё
• Старьё лежит на прилавке

The difference is mostly about focus.

На прилавке лежит старьё starts with the location, so it feels like:

• On the counter, there is old junk
• It answers a question like What is lying on the counter?

Старьё лежит на прилавке starts with the thing itself, so it feels more like:

• The old junk is lying on the counter
• It answers a question like Where is the old junk?

So the original word order is natural if the speaker wants to foreground the place.

In the present tense, Russian normally does not use a separate verb meaning is / are in simple sentences like this.

English:

• The junk is on the counter
• The junk is lying on the counter

Russian:

• Старьё на прилавке
• Старьё лежит на прилавке

So there is no missing word here. Russian simply does not usually say есть for a normal present-tense is.

Also, in this sentence the verb is not just to be but лежит = is lying / lies, so the idea of existence and position is already expressed.

Not exactly rude, but it is definitely not neutral.

It usually sounds:

• dismissive
• slightly contemptuous
• colloquial

A speaker using старьё is usually signaling that the objects are old and not valuable, or that they consider them junk.

So if you are describing someone’s possessions politely, старьё may sound too harsh. But if you want the sense of old junk, it is exactly the right kind of word.

Usually нет, not in this sentence.

Russian chooses the verb based on the object’s physical orientation:

• лежит = lying flat / spread out / resting horizontally
• стоит = standing upright
• висит = hanging

If the items on the counter are being thought of as a pile or assortment of junk, лежит is the natural choice.

If you said стоит старьё, it would sound odd unless the objects were somehow conceived as standing upright, which is unlikely for junk as a mass.

It is present tense, but like many present-tense forms in Russian, it can describe either:

• what is happening right now
• or a more general/current state

So На прилавке лежит старьё can mean:

• There is old junk lying on the counter right now
• or more broadly The counter has old junk on it

In context, it often just describes the visible scene.