У підвалі стоїть старе відро, а поруч лежить стара швабра.

Because у meaning in requires the locative case when it shows location.

• підвал = basement
• у підвалі = in the basement

So the sentence uses у підвалі because the bucket and mop are located there, not moving into it.

Because the adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case.

• відро is neuter, so you get старе відро
• швабра is feminine, so you get стара швабра

This is a very important pattern in Ukrainian:

• masculine: старий
• feminine: стара
• neuter: старе
• plural: старі

Often, the noun ending gives you a strong clue:

• nouns ending in -о are often neuter → відро
• nouns ending in -а / -я are often feminine → швабра

This is not a perfect rule for every noun, but it works very often and is very useful for beginners.

Ukrainian often uses different verbs depending on the object's physical position.

• стоїть = is standing
• лежить = is lying

So:

• a bucket is imagined as upright → стоїть
• a mop is imagined as lying horizontally → лежить

In English, we often just say there is or is, but Ukrainian prefers to describe position more specifically.

Yes, but the meaning would be less vivid and less natural in this context.

• У підвалі є старе відро... = There is an old bucket in the basement...
• ...поруч є стара швабра = ...there is an old mop nearby.

This is grammatically possible, but стоїть and лежить sound more natural because they describe how the objects are positioned.

Поруч means nearby, next to it, or beside it, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means the mop is near the bucket.

A useful thing to know:

• поруч can be used on its own: поруч лежить...
• it can also appear with з: поруч з будинком = next to the building

Here, поруч works adverbially: nearby / next to it.

Here а connects the two parts of the sentence, but it is slightly different from plain і.

• і = and
• а = and / while / whereas, often with a slight contrast or shift of focus

In this sentence, а feels natural because it moves from one object to another:

• There is an old bucket in the basement, and nearby there is an old mop.

It is not a strong contrast, but it separates the two images nicely.

Ukrainian word order is flexible, and speakers often choose it based on focus and information flow.

Starting with У підвалі puts the location first:

• In the basement, there stands an old bucket...

This sounds natural when you are setting the scene.

If you said:

• Старе відро стоїть у підвалі that is also grammatical, but the focus shifts more toward the bucket itself.

So the original sentence is natural because it introduces the setting first.

Yes. Лежить is the 3rd person singular form of лежати (to lie, in the sense of being in a lying position).

• лежати = to be lying
• лежить = he/she/it is lying

Related verb:

• лягти = to lie down, to get into a lying position

So:

• швабра лежить = the mop is lying
• швабра лягла = the mop lay down / fell into a lying position

The first describes a state; the second describes a change into that state.

Yes. Стоїть is the 3rd person singular form of стояти (to stand).

• стояти = to stand
• стоїть = he/she/it stands, is standing

So:

• відро стоїть = the bucket is standing

This is the normal present-tense form for it stands / is standing.

Because Ukrainian often expresses existence by using a normal verb of position or presence, without adding a separate dummy subject like English there.

English:

• There is an old bucket in the basement.

Ukrainian:

• У підвалі стоїть старе відро.

There is no direct equivalent of English dummy there here. Ukrainian simply says, literally:

• In the basement stands an old bucket.

That is a very common difference between English and Ukrainian.

They are in the nominative case because they are the grammatical subjects of the verbs:

• відро стоїть
• швабра лежить

The adjectives agree with them in nominative too:

• старе відро
• стара швабра

So in this sentence:

• у підвалі = locative
• старе відро = nominative
• стара швабра = nominative

Yes. У and в often mean the same thing, and the choice is usually made for easier pronunciation and smoother sound.

So both of these are possible:

• У підвалі стоїть старе відро...
• В підвалі стоїть старе відро...

У підвалі is very natural here because it sounds smooth before підвалі. Ukrainian often alternates у / в to avoid awkward sound combinations.