Herní plán je na stole.

Czech does not have articles like the or a/an.

So herní plán can mean:

• the game board
• a game board

Which one is meant depends on context. In this sentence, the context or the translation tells you it is the game board.

Hra is the noun game.

Herní is an adjective built from hra, and it means something like:

• game
• gaming
• related to a game

So:

• hra = a game
• herní plán = game board / board used for a game

English often uses a noun before another noun, as in game board. Czech usually prefers an adjective here, so herní plán is more natural than trying to copy the English structure directly.

Yes, plán often means plan, but it can also mean:

• layout
• map
• diagram
• board in certain fixed expressions

In board-game vocabulary, herní plán is the normal term for the board you play on.

So even though the literal parts might look like game plan, the whole expression herní plán is understood as game board.

Here je is the 3rd person singular of být (to be) and means is.

In normal Czech sentences, you usually do include it:

• Herní plán je na stole. = The game board is on the table.

Czech can omit forms of to be in some special styles, like headlines, notes, or very informal shortened expressions, but in ordinary full sentences je is expected.

Because this sentence describes location, not movement.

With na:

• na + accusative usually means movement onto something
• na + locative usually means being on something

So:

• na stůl = onto the table
• na stole = on the table

Here the board is already there, so Czech uses the locative:

• stůl → na stole

Stole is the locative singular of stůl (table).

This happens because the preposition na takes the locative when it expresses location.

The basic form is:

• stůl = table

After na for location:

• na stole = on the table

Herní plán is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

The subject is the thing that is somewhere:

• Herní plán = the game board
• je na stole = is on the table

So the structure is:

• subject: Herní plán
• verb: je
• location: na stole

Herní is an adjective of a type that often ends in -í. This is a normal Czech adjective pattern.

In this sentence it agrees with plán:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

You do not need to think of -í as meaning one single thing by itself; it is just part of the adjective form.

A useful point for learners: adjectives in Czech must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

So herní matches plán grammatically.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English because case endings show the grammatical roles.

The neutral order here is:

• Herní plán je na stole.

But you could also say:

• Na stole je herní plán.

Both are grammatical. The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Herní plán je na stole. → neutral, talking about the game board
• Na stole je herní plán. → emphasizes the location, on the table

English usually has to keep a more fixed word order.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Herní ≈ HER-nee
• plán ≈ plaahn
• je ≈ yeh
• na ≈ nah
• stole ≈ STO-leh

A few useful points:

• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
• á and í are long vowels, so say them a bit longer:
  • plán
  • herní

So the rhythm is roughly:

• HER-nee PLAAHN yeh nah STO-leh

Possibly, but it depends on what you mean.

• herní plán is the standard term for a game board
• deska means board, plank, or plate-like piece

So herní deska might be understandable in some contexts, but for the board in a board game, herní plán is the usual expression.

This is a good example of why direct word-for-word translation from English is not always the most natural choice in Czech.