Breakdown of На столе стоит прибор, который показывает время.
стол
table / desk
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
время
time
показывать
to show
стоять
to stand
который
which / who / that (relative pronoun)
прибор
device
Questions & Answers about На столе стоит прибор, который показывает время.
Why does the relative pronoun который end in -ый in this sentence?
Который connects the two parts of the sentence, translating to "that" or "which". It ends in -ый because it must match the gender and number of the noun it replaces, which is прибор (a masculine singular noun). It is in the Nominative case because it acts as the subject of the second half of the sentence: it is the device that does the showing.
Why does the sentence use стоит (stands) instead of just saying the device "is" on the table?
In Russian, inanimate objects do not just exist in a location; they actively stand, lie, or hang. Because a device like a clock usually rests upright on its base, Russian uses the verb стоять (to stand). You will also notice the location На столе comes first to set the scene, with the new information (the device) coming after the verb.
The word время is the direct object receiving the action. Why doesn't its ending change?
You might expect an -я ending to change to -ю for a direct object in the Accusative case, which is what happens with feminine nouns. However, время is one of a few special neuter nouns ending in -мя. Just like most regular neuter nouns, its Accusative form looks exactly the same as its Nominative form.
Why is the verb показывает in the singular form when it comes right after который?
The verb показывает (shows) is in the third-person singular form because its subject is который. Since который refers back to the singular noun прибор, it acts as a singular subject (like "he" or "it") for the second part of the sentence.
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