Mikrofon je na polici nad psacím stolem.

Czech normally does not use articles the way English does. So mikrofon can mean the microphone or a microphone, depending on context.

That means:

• Mikrofon je... = The microphone is... / A microphone is...
• Czech relies on context, word order, and emphasis instead of articles.

Because na can require the locative case when it means on in a location sense.

Here, the microphone is located on the shelf, so police changes to the locative singular:

• nominative: police = shelf
• locative: polici = on the shelf

So:

• na polici = on the shelf

If there were motion toward the shelf, Czech would often use a different case instead.

Because the preposition nad takes the instrumental case when it means above in a static location sense.

So:

• nominative: stůl = table, desk
• instrumental: stolem = above the desk / with the desk, depending on context

Here:

• nad psacím stolem = above the desk

So the phrase uses instrumental because it describes where the shelf is, not movement.

Because adjectives in Czech must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

The noun here is stolem, which is:

• masculine inanimate
• singular
• instrumental

So the adjective psací must also be in masculine singular instrumental:

• base form: psací
• instrumental singular: psacím

That is why you get:

• psacím stolem

Yes, literally it is something like writing table, but in normal English it usually corresponds to desk or writing desk.

So:

• stůl = table
• psací stůl = desk / writing desk

This is a common Czech expression, so learners should think of it as a normal vocabulary item, not just a random combination made on the spot.

Because they describe two different spatial relationships:

• na polici = the microphone is on the shelf
• nad psacím stolem = the shelf is above the desk

So the structure is layered:

1. the microphone is on the shelf
2. the shelf is above the desk

This is very natural in Czech.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order because case endings show what role words play.

For example, you could also say:

• Na polici nad psacím stolem je mikrofon.

This is still grammatical. It may sound more like setting the scene first: On the shelf above the desk, there is a microphone.

The original sentence:

• Mikrofon je na polici nad psacím stolem.

is a very natural neutral sentence too.

Here is the breakdown:

• Mikrofon — nominative singular
  It is the subject of the sentence.

• je — is
  3rd person singular of být (to be)

• na polici — locative singular after na for location

• nad psacím stolem — instrumental singular after nad for location

This is a good sentence for seeing how Czech uses different cases after different prepositions.

No. Czech police means shelf.

It is pronounced roughly PO-li-tse, not like the English word police.

The Czech word for police as in the police force is:

• policie

So be careful:

• police = shelf
• policie = police

The biggest clue is the case choice after the prepositions:

• na polici uses the locative, which usually indicates location
• nad psacím stolem uses the instrumental, which also indicates location here

If the sentence were about movement, Czech would often use different case forms. So this sentence clearly describes where something is, not where something is going.