U grilu je velký žár a hodně kouře.

It means by the grill, at the grill, or near the grill.

The preposition u usually means being close to something, not on it or inside it. So u grilu describes the location around the grill.

Because u requires the genitive case.

The basic form is gril. After u, it changes to grilu.

• nominative: gril
• genitive: grilu

So:

• u grilu = by the grill

This is a very common question.

In English, you might expect are because there are two things. In Czech, when a subject comes after the verb, singular agreement is often possible, especially in a sentence that presents a scene or situation.

So U grilu je velký žár a hodně kouře sounds natural as a presentational sentence: By the grill, there is intense heat and a lot of smoke.

You may also hear plural in some contexts, but je is normal here.

Because hodně is followed by the genitive.

The noun is:

• nominative: kouř = smoke
• genitive: kouře

So:

• hodně kouře = a lot of smoke

This is the same pattern as:

• hodně vody = a lot of water
• hodně času = a lot of time

Hodně means a lot of, much, or many, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• hodně kouře = a lot of smoke

Because smoke is an uncountable idea here, English uses a lot of smoke, not many smokes.

Because velký must agree with žár in gender, number, and case.

• žár is masculine singular
• so the adjective is velký

Together:

• velký žár = literally big heat
• more naturally: intense heat or great heat

Czech often uses velký in places where English would prefer words like strong, great, or intense.

Žár means blazing heat, radiant heat, or intense heat.

Compared with similar words:

• teplo = warmth, heat in general
• horko = hot weather / it is hot
• žár = strong, burning heat coming off something

Near a grill, žár is a very good choice because it suggests the strong heat coming from the fire or coals.

Because Czech has no articles.

English needs words like a and the, but Czech normally does not use anything equivalent.

So grilu can mean:

• the grill
• a grill

Context tells you which meaning is intended. In this sentence, it will usually be understood as the grill.

Czech word order is flexible, and the beginning of the sentence often sets the scene.

So:

• U grilu = the location
• then the sentence tells you what is there

This is very natural in Czech. It is similar to English patterns like:

• By the grill, there is...
• At the grill, there is...

No, they mean different things.

• u grilu = by the grill, near the grill
• na grilu = on the grill

So in this sentence, u grilu is correct, because the heat and smoke are around the grill, not physically on top of it.

A rough guide:

• žár: the ž sounds like the sound in measure; á is long
• kouře: two syllables, kou-ře

The hardest sound is ř in kouře. It is a special Czech sound with no exact English equivalent. A beginner can think of it as something between r and zh.

You do not need to master ř immediately; even an approximate pronunciation is usually understood.