Tržní stánky stojí kolem náměstí.

stánky is the plural of stánek, meaning stall or booth.

tržní is an adjective meaning market or market-related.

So tržní stánky literally means market stalls.

A learner might expect something more like market’s stalls, but Czech usually uses an adjective here rather than a possessive structure.

Because tržní is a soft adjective.

In this sentence it agrees with stánky, which is:

• nominative
• plural
• masculine inanimate

For many hard adjectives, that form would end differently, but soft adjectives often have -í in this position.

So:

• singular: tržní stánek = a market stall
• plural: tržní stánky = market stalls

The adjective changes to match the noun, but here the plural form still stays tržní.

stánky is the nominative plural form of stánek.

It is nominative because it is the subject of the sentence — the thing doing the action.

So:

• stánek = one stall
• stánky = stalls

Since the sentence is about multiple stalls, Czech uses the plural.

Here stojí means stand or more naturally are standing / are set up.

Czech often uses stát for things that are physically standing somewhere, including objects like:

• buildings
• statues
• stalls
• cars in some contexts

So Tržní stánky stojí kolem náměstí is literally something like Market stalls stand around the square.

In natural English, you might also translate it as:

• There are market stalls around the square
• Market stalls are set up around the square

Because in the present tense, stát has the same form stojí for both:

• he/she/it stands
• they stand

So:

• Stánek stojí. = The stall stands.
• Stánky stojí. = The stalls stand.

You know whether it is singular or plural from the subject:

• stánek = singular
• stánky = plural

Yes. That is a very common point of confusion.

The verb stát can mean both:

• to stand
• to cost

So stojí can mean:

• stands / is standing
• costs

The sentence context tells you which meaning is intended.

For example:

• Stánek stojí na náměstí. = The stall stands in the square.
• Stánek stojí tisíc korun. = The stall costs a thousand crowns.

In your sentence, because of the location phrase kolem náměstí, the meaning is clearly stand.

kolem is a preposition meaning around, and it takes the genitive case.

So náměstí here is in the genitive singular.

The tricky part is that náměstí has the same form in several cases, including:

• nominative singular: náměstí
• genitive singular: náměstí

So even though the form does not change visibly, the case still changes grammatically.

That is why:

• kolem náměstí = around the square

Because náměstí is a neuter noun of a declension pattern where several singular forms are identical.

So although kolem requires the genitive, the word still appears as náměstí.

This is very common in Czech and can feel strange at first. The case is shown by:

• the preposition used
• the role in the sentence
• the noun’s declension pattern

So the form is unchanged, but the grammar is not.

Yes. kolem and okolo can both mean around.

So these are both possible:

• kolem náměstí
• okolo náměstí

They are very close in meaning. In many contexts they are interchangeable.

Your sentence with kolem sounds completely normal and natural.

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

The neutral version here is:

Tržní stánky stojí kolem náměstí.

But you could also say:

Kolem náměstí stojí tržní stánky.

That version puts more focus on the location: around the square.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes.

Because Czech has no articles.

English uses:

• a
• an
• the

Czech does not.

So náměstí can mean:

• a square
• the square

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the square, but Czech simply says náměstí.

A rough learner-friendly pronunciation would be:

trzh-nee stahn-kee sto-yee ko-lem nah-mnyes-chee

A few important points:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• í is a long ee
• á is a long a
• ě changes the sound of the consonant before it
• ř is the famous Czech sound, which is difficult for most learners

In náměstí, the mě part is pronounced roughly like mnye.

And in tržní, the cluster ržn is hard for English speakers, so at first it is fine to aim for something close rather than perfect.

It describes location, not motion.

The stalls are not moving around the square. They are positioned around it.

That is why Czech uses stojí = stand / are standing.

If the meaning were about movement, Czech would use a different structure. Here the idea is simply that the stalls are situated around the square.