Breakdown of Поезда стоят на железнодорожных путях.
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
поезд
train
стоять
to stand
путь
track / path (route, journey)
Questions & Answers about Поезда стоят на железнодорожных путях.
Why does путях have an -ях ending if путь is a masculine noun?
путь is an anomalous masculine noun. Instead of declining like a normal masculine word, its endings mostly follow the pattern of feminine 3rd-declension nouns (like тетрадь). Here, it is in the prepositional plural, which takes the -ях ending, making it путях.
Why is the plural of поезд written as поезда instead of поезды?
поезд is one of those masculine nouns that takes a stressed -а ending in the nominative plural instead of the standard -ы or -и. Other common examples you might remember are дом (дома) and глаз (глаза).
Why use стоят (stand) for trains instead of just saying they are on the tracks?
In Russian, vehicles like trains, cars, and buses are conventionally described as standing (стоять) when they are parked or stationary. Using стоят is the most natural way to describe a vehicle that isn't currently moving.
How is the adjective железнодорожных formed?
It is a compound adjective built from железная (iron) and дорога (road), which together mean railway. The -о- in the middle connects the two roots, and it takes the -ых ending here to agree with the prepositional plural noun путях.