Quick answer
Russian avoids a bare “is” for locations. Upright things стоя́т, flat things лежа́т, and things wedged into place сидя́т.
The three states
| Verb | What uses it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| стоя́ть | anything upright, on a base | ва́за стои́т, дом стои́т, маши́на стои́т |
| лежа́ть | anything flat or loose | кни́га лежи́т, ключи́ лежа́т, снег лежи́т |
| сиде́ть | people, animals, and things that fit snugly | ко́шка сиди́т, пла́тье хорошо́ сиди́т |
Bottles and plates are the classic borderline case: a plate on the table стои́т because it rests on its base, but a plate in a drying rack стои́т too. A fallen bottle лежи́т.
Putting things there
| Result | Imperfective | Perfective |
|---|---|---|
| it will lie | класть | положи́ть |
| it will stand | ста́вить | поста́вить |
| it will hang | ве́шать | пове́сить |
Ло́жить does not exist
The pair is класть (imperfective) and положи́ть (perfective). Ло́жить is heard everywhere and is still considered plainly wrong.
Why it is worth the trouble
Getting these right is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook. A learner says кни́га есть на столе́; a Russian says кни́га лежи́т на столе́. The grammar is identical — the verb is what gives you away.
Typical mistakes
Кни́га стои́т на столе́.
Кни́га лежи́т на столе́.
A flat book lies. A book upright on a shelf, however, does стои́т.
Положи́ ва́зу на стол.
Поста́вь ва́зу на стол.
The vase will stand, so it takes ста́вить.
Check yourself
Keys on the table — which verb?