Сірники лежать у шухляді.

Сірники is the plural form of сірник, which means a match.

• сірник = one match
• сірники = matches

So the sentence uses the plural because it is talking about more than one match.

A native English speaker might also notice that English often says matches for the object in general, and Ukrainian does the same here.

Because the subject сірники is plural.

In the present tense, лежати (to lie / to be lying / to be located lying down) agrees with the subject:

• лежить = he/she/it lies
• лежать = they lie

Since сірники means matches (plural), the verb must also be plural:

• Сірник лежить... = The match is lying...
• Сірники лежать... = The matches are lying...

Ukrainian often prefers a position verb where English simply uses to be.

So instead of saying something like The matches are in the drawer, Ukrainian naturally says The matches lie in the drawer:

• лежати = to lie, to be lying, to be located lying down

With objects, this is very common and natural. It does not necessarily mean someone is emphasizing that the matches are physically flat; it is just a normal way to describe where things are.

Compare:

• Сірники лежать у шухляді. = The matches are in the drawer.
• Книга лежить на столі. = The book is on the table.

Using є here would sound different:

• У шухляді є сірники. = There are matches in the drawer.

That version emphasizes existence/presence, while Сірники лежать у шухляді emphasizes location.

Шухляді is in the locative case because it follows the preposition у and answers the question where?

• шухляда = drawer
• у шухляді = in the drawer

This is a common pattern in Ukrainian:

• у кімнаті = in the room
• на столі = on the table
• у шухляді = in the drawer

So the basic idea is:

• preposition of location + locative case

Because шухляда is changing from its dictionary form (nominative singular) into the locative singular.

Here is the change:

• шухляда = drawer
• у шухляді = in the drawer

This kind of ending change is normal in Ukrainian nouns. A learner does not need to memorize every noun separately forever, but you do need to learn declension patterns.

For this noun, the important thing here is simply:

• base form: шухляда
• after у meaning in, use the locative: шухляді

У and в both usually mean in. Ukrainian often switches between them for euphony—to make pronunciation smoother.

So both of these are possible in many contexts:

• у шухляді
• в шухляді

In this sentence, лежать у шухляді sounds smoother because лежать в шухляді would create a heavier consonant cluster.

This alternation is very common in Ukrainian. It usually does not change the meaning.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence could also be:

• У шухляді лежать сірники.

Both versions are correct, but the emphasis changes a little:

• Сірники лежать у шухляді.
  Focuses first on the matches.

• У шухляді лежать сірники.
  Focuses first on the location: In the drawer, there are matches / the matches are lying there.

So the original sentence is perfectly normal, but not the only possible order.

Because Ukrainian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• сірники can mean matches or the matches
• шухляді can mean a drawer or the drawer

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English usually needs an article, but Ukrainian does not.

It can do both, depending on context, but here it most naturally describes location/state.

So Сірники лежать у шухляді usually means something like:

• The matches are in the drawer
• The matches are lying in the drawer

It does not have to mean that you are watching them right now in an ongoing action. It often simply tells you where they are.

That is very common with Ukrainian verbs like:

• лежати = lie
• стояти = stand
• сидіти = sit

These often describe a state or position, not just a dramatic ongoing action.

Yes, absolutely—but it means something slightly different in focus.

• Сірники лежать у шухляді.
  = The matches are lying in the drawer.
  Focus: where the matches are

• У шухляді є сірники.
  = There are matches in the drawer.
  Focus: the fact that matches are present there

So both are correct, but they are not identical in nuance.

A good quick rule:

• use є when you want to say there is/there are
• use лежить / лежать when you want to describe an object's position/location

A learner may want to pay attention to the stress:

• сІрники
• лежАть
• у шухлЯді

A rough pronunciation guide:

• сірники ≈ SEER-ny-ky
• лежать ≈ leh-ZHAT'
• у шухляді ≈ u shukh-LYA-di

A few notes:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• х is like a throaty kh
• і is like ee
• the soft sign ь in лежать softens the final consonant

This is only an approximation, but it helps with the main stress pattern.