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Hi friends!
I often see sentences with "Стоит" at the beginning. Does it simply mean "To be"?.
Стоит ясная погода -> It is clear weather.
Стоит засуха -> The weather is dry.
The last two questions are -> Can I omit it? Does it come from infinitive стоять or стоить?
(note: I put ' before stressed letter below)
In these examples "сто'ит" is form of "сто'ять" verb (to stand). It's meaning in these cases is similar to "to reside / to exist / to stay (somewhere)". "To be" is close enough. Remember that in russian "to be" is omitted very often. It is the case. "У нас ясная погода." is ok. "У нас есть ясная погода" is not ok. It is unusual to have "to be" in such phrase. So, "стоит ясная погода" is common replacement if you want to omit "у нас" also.
Also there can be "ст'оит" derived from "ст'оить" (to have cost/price). It's really another verb and another meanings.
In this case, 'stands' means 'goes', meaning, the weather has come and is standing for a while, it has a certain durability.
In other words, the weather is not changing rapidly at the moment.
Great answers! In my language it should mean царствовать (to be, to exist). Do you agree?
Is it common to begin with Стоит as a reply to question "What is the weather like now?" from a friend or a member of family? I find it rather formal.
"In my language it should mean царствовать (to be, to exist). Do you agree?"
You can say so in russian too, but it will be very poetic or exaggerated. "Стоять" about weather is very usual thing without colors. It is normal to use it in any situation.
Those girls reading forecasts on TV say often "властвует антициклон", which is almost "царствует". Among friends you will most likely hear "жара заколебала" or "морозы достали, уже месяц стоят", but in letters - quite probable, why not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZCISTUZQP0
(you could move right to 2min30s to listen to weather conditions)