Подовжувач лежить біля генератора.

Because біля (near, by) requires the genitive case.

• base form: генератор
• after біля: біля генератора

So the pattern is:

• біля столу = near the table
• біля будинку = near the house
• біля генератора = near the generator

This is very common in Ukrainian: many prepositions force a specific case, and біля takes the genitive.

Подовжувач is in the nominative singular.

It is the subject of the sentence — the thing that is lying somewhere.

So the structure is:

• Подовжувач = the extension cord
• лежить = is lying
• біля генератора = near the generator

A native English speaker can think of it as:

[subject] + [verb] + [location]

In Ukrainian, it is very natural to use verbs like:

• лежати = to lie
• стояти = to stand
• висіти = to hang

when describing where something is physically located.

So Подовжувач лежить біля генератора sounds natural because an extension cord is understood as something lying on the ground or on a surface.

Using just є would usually sound less natural here. Ukrainian often prefers a more physical location verb rather than a plain is.

Compare:

• Книга лежить на столі. = The book is lying on the table.
• Стілець стоїть біля вікна. = The chair is standing by the window.

Often yes, but in everyday Ukrainian it can also simply mean that an object is there, placed there, especially if it is something that naturally rests on a surface.

With подовжувач, лежить is very natural because a cord normally lies on the floor, ground, or table.

If the object were upright, Ukrainian would more likely use стоїть:

• Генератор стоїть у дворі. = The generator is standing in the yard.

So these verbs often reflect how the object is positioned.

Подовжувач usually means an extension cord or extension lead.

Depending on context, some speakers may also use it for an extension device more generally, but in most practical situations it means the electrical cord used to extend power.

So if you are thinking of a cable you plug in to reach farther, подовжувач is the right word.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible.

The neutral order here is:

• Подовжувач лежить біля генератора.

But you could also say:

• Біля генератора лежить подовжувач.

This puts more focus on the location near the generator.

Because Ukrainian marks grammatical roles with case endings, word order can shift more freely than in English. The meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis changes.

Yes, often you can.

• біля генератора = near/by the generator
• коло генератора = near/by the generator
• поруч з генератором = next to / beside the generator

There is a small grammar difference:

• біля
  • genitive → біля генератора
• коло
  • genitive → коло генератора
• поруч з
  • instrumental → поруч з генератором

So the meaning is similar, but the case after the preposition changes.

In the present tense, Ukrainian verbs agree with the subject in person and number, not gender.

Here:

• подовжувач = singular
• лежить = 3rd person singular (he/she/it lies)

So they match correctly.

You do not see masculine agreement on the verb here in the present tense. Gender matters more in the past tense, for example:

• Подовжувач лежав... = The extension cord was lying...
• Книга лежала... = The book was lying...

A helpful learner version with stress marks is:

подовжувАч лежИть білЯ генерАтора

Approximate pronunciation:

• подовжувач ≈ po-dov-zhu-VACH
• лежить ≈ le-ZHYT’
• біля ≈ BEE-lya
• генератора ≈ he-ne-RA-to-ra

A couple of useful notes:

• Ukrainian г is usually like a soft h sound, so генератора begins more like he- than hard English g.
• и in лежить is not exactly English ee or ih; it is a separate Ukrainian vowel.

Ukrainian has no articles like the and a/an.

So Подовжувач лежить біля генератора can mean:

• The extension cord is lying near the generator
• An extension cord is lying near the generator

The exact interpretation depends on context.

In many learning translations, English uses the because the object is treated as already known or visible in context.