Na stolu je tanjur s mesom, čaša vode, nož i vilica.

On the table there is a plate with meat, a glass of water, a knife and a fork.

Breakdown of Na stolu je tanjur s mesom, čaša vode, nož i vilica.

• biti: to be
• voda: water
• i: and
• s: with

Questions & Answers about Na stolu je tanjur s mesom, čaša vode, nož i vilica.

Why is it Na stolu and not na stol or na stola?

The noun stol (table) is being used with the preposition na (on), and we’re talking about location, not movement.

• Na can take:
  • locative = static location: on / in / at
  • accusative = direction: onto / into / to

For stol:

• Nominative: stol (table)
• Accusative: stol
• Locative: stolu

So:

• Na stolu je tanjur… = A plate is on the table (location → locative)
• Stavljam tanjur na stol. = I’m putting the plate onto the table (movement → accusative)

Na stola would be genitive, and na does not use the genitive in this meaning, so na stola is wrong here.

Why is the verb je singular even though there are four objects on the table?