Questions & Answers about Ключі лежать у шухляді столу.
Why is ключі in that form?
Ключі is the nominative plural form of ключ (key).
In this sentence, ключі is the subject, so it appears in the nominative case.
Singular: ключ
Plural: ключі
The verb is also plural to match it: ключі лежать = the keys are lying / the keys are in...
Why is the verb лежать and not є?
Because лежать is the main verb here. It means lie or be lying.
Ukrainian often uses specific position/location verbs where English might just use is/are:
- лежати = to lie
- стояти = to stand
- висіти = to hang
So Ключі лежать... literally means The keys are lying..., not just The keys are...
Also, present-tense є is often omitted in Ukrainian when it would simply mean is/are, but here it would not be needed anyway because лежать already does the job.
Does лежать mean the keys are literally lying flat?