Булавки держат ткань.

Because булавки is in the nominative plural, and the verb держат is also 3rd person plural, so they match.

A native English speaker may notice that булавки can look ambiguous, because this form can also be something else in other contexts. But in this sentence, the verb makes it clear:

• булавки держат = the pins hold / are holding
• so булавки must be the subject

Meanwhile, ткань is the object.

Держат is the 3rd person plural present-tense form of держать.

So:

• я держу = I hold
• ты держишь = you hold
• он / она держит = he / she holds
• они держат = they hold

Since булавки is plural, the verb also has to be plural:

• булавка держит = the pin holds
• булавки держат = the pins hold

Here ткань is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object.

But for many inanimate nouns, the accusative looks the same as the nominative. That is what happens here:

• nominative: ткань
• accusative: ткань

So even though English distinguishes subject and object mostly by word order, Russian often shows the role through case. In this particular noun, the object form just happens to look identical to the basic form.

The ь is the soft sign. It does not represent a vowel by itself. Its job is mainly to show that the preceding consonant is soft.

So in ткань, the final н is soft.

It is also part of the normal dictionary form of the noun. You should learn the word as ткань, not as ткан.

Yes. Russian word order is much more flexible than English word order because case endings help show who is doing what.

So both of these are possible:

• Булавки держат ткань.
• Ткань держат булавки.

Both can mean basically the same thing, but the emphasis changes:

• Булавки держат ткань. = neutral/default order
• Ткань держат булавки. = puts more focus on fabric first, or answers a question like What are the pins holding?

In English, changing word order often changes the grammar completely. In Russian, it more often changes focus or style.

Russian does not have articles like English a, an, or the.

So Булавки держат ткань could be translated depending on context as:

• Pins hold fabric
• The pins hold the fabric
• The pins are holding the fabric

Context tells you whether something is specific or general.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• simple present: Pins hold the fabric
• present continuous: The pins are holding the fabric

The form держат itself does not force one or the other. You decide from context.

The dictionary forms are:

• булавка = pin
• держать = to hold
• ткань = fabric, cloth

In the sentence:

• булавки = plural form of булавка
• держат = present plural form of держать
• ткань = singular form used here as the object

Yes, держать is an imperfective verb.

That matters because in Russian, imperfective verbs can have a true present tense. So держат means hold / are holding in the present.

A perfective verb normally would not give you a present meaning like that; its “present-looking” forms usually refer to the future.

So using держат is exactly what you would expect for an ongoing present situation.

The stress is:

• була́вки
• де́ржат
• ткань

So: була́вки де́ржат ткань

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• boo-LAHV-kee
• DYER-zhut
• tkan’

A few pronunciation notes:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• ь in ткань softens the final consonant
• the initial тк- cluster in ткань is pronounced, even though it may feel unusual for English speakers

Usually булавка means a pin, and the exact type depends on context.

In a sewing context with ткань, it most naturally suggests pins used to hold fabric in place. In other contexts, булавка can also refer to things like a safety pin.

So the surrounding words help narrow it down.