Plynoměr je vedle elektroměru.

Because vedle takes the genitive case in Czech.

• Dictionary form: elektroměr
• Genitive singular: elektroměru

So:

• vedle elektroměru = next to the electricity meter

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

Plynoměr is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

The basic structure is:

• Plynoměr = subject
• je = is
• vedle elektroměru = location phrase

So the sentence literally works like:

• The gas meter is next to the electricity meter

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb být, which means to be.

So:

• je = is

In this sentence, it connects the subject with its location:

• Plynoměr je vedle elektroměru.
• The gas meter is next to the electricity meter.

Vedle means next to, beside, or alongside.

In sentences about location, it tells you that one thing is beside another:

• vedle domu = next to the house
• vedle stolu = next to the table
• vedle elektroměru = next to the electricity meter

A key point: vedle normally requires the genitive.

Because Czech does not use articles like English a, an, and the.

So:

• Plynoměr can mean a gas meter or the gas meter
• elektroměru can mean an electricity meter or the electricity meter

The exact meaning depends on context. In many practical situations, English will naturally translate this as the gas meter is next to the electricity meter.

A rough English-style guide is:

• plynoměr ≈ PLI-no-myehr
• je ≈ ye
• vedle ≈ VED-le
• elektroměru ≈ e-LEK-tro-myeh-roo

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ř is a special Czech sound with no exact English equivalent.
• In mě, the ě changes the sound before it, so it sounds roughly like mye.
• j in Czech is pronounced like English y in yes.

Yes. They are built in a very similar way.

• plyn = gas
• elektro = electricity / electric
• -měr = meter, measuring device

So:

• plynoměr = gas meter
• elektroměr = electricity meter / electric meter

This kind of word-building is very common in Czech and can help you guess meanings.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order.

You can also say:

• Vedle elektroměru je plynoměr.

This still means essentially the same thing: The gas meter is next to the electricity meter.

The difference is mainly focus:

• Plynoměr je vedle elektroměru. → starts with the gas meter
• Vedle elektroměru je plynoměr. → starts with next to the electricity meter

So the first version focuses more naturally on what the gas meter’s location is.

Yes. That would also be a correct Czech sentence, but it changes the subject:

• Elektroměr je vedle plynoměru. = The electricity meter is next to the gas meter.

In real life, both sentences may describe the same physical arrangement, but grammatically they are not identical, because the sentence is now talking primarily about elektroměr, not plynoměr.

Both plynoměr and elektroměr are masculine inanimate nouns.

That matters because gender affects case endings. For example:

• nominative singular: plynoměr, elektroměr
• genitive singular: plynoměru, elektroměru

Knowing the gender helps you predict how the words will change in different contexts.

It is a perfectly normal and natural Czech sentence.

It sounds like a practical statement you might hear when someone is explaining where something is in a building, for example:

• where to find the gas meter
• how utilities are arranged
• what is installed in a hallway, basement, or utility room

So although it is simple, it is definitely real, useful Czech.