Podsedák je na židli.

Podsedák is a seat cushion / chair pad—something you put on a chair to make it softer or more comfortable to sit on.

It usually means a cushion specifically for sitting on, not a general pillow. So it is more specific than polštář, which usually means pillow or sometimes cushion in a broader sense.

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

So:

• podsedák = seat cushion
• je = is
• na židli = on the chair

Together: The seat cushion is on the chair.

In Czech, you normally do need je in a sentence like this. English learners sometimes expect Czech to leave out is, but here it stays.

Because na means on, and after prepositions Czech nouns usually change form.

The dictionary form is židle = chair, but after na in this sentence it becomes židli.

So:

• židle = chair
• na židli = on the chair

This is normal Czech case grammar.

Here židli is in the locative case.

After na, Czech uses:

• locative when talking about location: on / at
• accusative when talking about movement toward a place

In this sentence, the cushion is already located on the chair, so Czech uses the locative.

A useful thing to know: with židle, the singular accusative and locative both happen to look the same: židli. So the form is identical, and the meaning comes from the context.

Because the cushion is on the chair, not in it.

• na = on, on top of, at
• v = in, inside

A seat cushion rests on the surface of the chair, so na židli is the natural choice.

The dictionary form is židle.

This is very common in Czech: the form you see in a sentence is often not the dictionary form, because nouns change depending on case and number.

So if you look it up, you would search for židle, not židli.

• podsedák is masculine inanimate
• židle is feminine

Gender matters in Czech because it affects adjective endings, pronouns, and sometimes numeral forms.

In this sentence, there is no adjective, so gender is not very visible yet, but it is still important vocabulary information to learn together with each noun.

No, Czech word order is fairly flexible.

Podsedák je na židli is a neutral, natural sentence. But you could also say:

• Na židli je podsedák.

That version puts more focus on the location: On the chair, there is a seat cushion.

So the basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis can shift.

Czech does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So Podsedák je na židli can mean:

• A seat cushion is on a chair
• The seat cushion is on the chair

Which one is meant depends on context.

This is one of the big differences between Czech and English.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

POD-se-daak ye na ZHID-li

A few useful points:

• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word:
  • PODsedák
  • je
  • na
  • ŽIDli
• ž sounds like the s in measure
• á is a long vowel, so dák is longer than dak
• j in Czech sounds like English y, so je sounds roughly like ye

In this sentence, the natural meaning is is on the chair—a location, not a movement.

That is because:

• the verb je means is
• the sentence describes a state, not an action

If you wanted to say The seat cushion is being put onto the chair or goes onto the chair, Czech would use a different verb, not just je.

So this sentence is clearly about where the cushion is.

Yes, it is a normal word, especially when talking about home items, furniture, or household textiles.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• seat cushion
• chair pad
• seat pad

So it is a practical everyday noun, not an unusual literary word.