Oběd je na stole.

Lunch is on the table.

Breakdown of Oběd je na stole.

• být: to be
• oběd: the lunch
• stůl: the table
• na: of

Questions & Answers about Oběd je na stole.

What exactly does oběd mean here? Does it mean “lunch” or “dinner”?

Oběd is most commonly translated as “lunch” in modern Czech.

Traditionally:

• oběd = the main midday meal (lunch)
• večeře = the evening meal (dinner/supper)

Some families or regions might use the words a bit more loosely, but if you just see oběd with no context, you should think “lunch”.

Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before oběd? Why not something like “Ten oběd je na stole”?

Czech has no articles (no words like “the” or “a/an”).

So:

• Oběd je na stole.
  can mean “Lunch is on the table” or “The lunch is on the table” depending on context.

If you really want to specify “that lunch”, you can add a demonstrative:

• Ten oběd je na stole. – That lunch is on the table.

But in most everyday situations, simple Oběd je na stole. is enough and natural.

What is the grammatical gender of oběd, and which form is it in here?

Oběd is masculine inanimate.

In the sentence Oběd je na stole. the word oběd is:

• in the nominative singular (dictionary form),
• functioning as the subject of the sentence.

You can think of the structure as:

• [Oběd] [je] [na stole].
  [Subject] [is] [location].

What does je mean here, and where does it come from?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb být (to be).

The present tense of být is:

• já jsem – I am
• ty jsi – you are (singular, informal)
• on/ona/ono je – he/she/it is
• my jsme – we are
• vy jste – you are (plural / formal)
• oni jsou – they are

So Oběd je na stole. literally: “Lunch is on the table.”

Could you also say To je oběd na stole or Je to oběd na stole?

You could say things like To je oběd na stole, but it would sound unusual in this context.

• Oběd je na stole. – neutral statement: Lunch is on the table.
• To je oběd. – That is lunch. (identifying what that is)
• To je oběd na stole. – something like That is the lunch on the table. (identifying “that” more specifically)

In normal everyday speech, to say where the lunch is, you simply say:

• Oběd je na stole.

What does na mean here, and which case does it use?

In this sentence, na means “on” (location).

The preposition na can take:

• locative (for location):
  na stole – on the table
• accusative (for movement towards):
  na stůl – onto the table

So:

• Oběd je na stole. – Lunch is on the table. (where it is)
• Dávám oběd na stůl. – I’m putting lunch onto the table. (movement)

Why is it stole and not stůl in na stole?

The basic (dictionary) form of the noun is stůl – table, masculine inanimate.

In na stole, the word stole is the locative singular of stůl.

The important pattern:

• nominative (basic form): stůl – table
• locative singular (after na, ve, o when talking about location): (na/o/ve) stole

There is a vowel change ů → o in this form: stůl → stole.

When do I use stůl and when stole?

You use stůl in the nominative (subject, dictionary form) and stole in the locative (mostly after certain prepositions).

Examples:

• Stůl je nový. – The table is new. (nominative: stůl)
• Oběd je na stole. – Lunch is on the table. (locative: stole)
• Sedím u stolu. – I’m sitting at the table. (genitive: stolu – another case)

Very simplified:

• “The table (does something / is something)” → stůl
• “on the table / in the table / about the table” → stole (with the right preposition)

Can I change the word order and say Na stole je oběd?

Yes, you can.

• Oběd je na stole. – neutral: simply stating where the lunch is.
• Na stole je oběd. – slightly more emphasis on the location “on the table” or on what is there.

In many contexts, both are possible. The difference is about focus:

• Oběd je na stole. – Focus on what is on the table? → It’s lunch.
• Na stole je oběd. – Focus on what is there on the table now. → There is lunch (on it).

How would I turn this into a yes–no question: “Is the lunch on the table?”

You simply change your intonation or slightly tweak the word order. All of these are acceptable:

• Je oběd na stole? – Is lunch on the table?
• Oběd je na stole? – same words, but rising intonation makes it a question.

The form Je oběd na stole? is the clearest for learners:

• Je (Is) oběd (lunch) na stole (on the table)?

What is the difference between Oběd je na stole and Oběd je u stolu?

They describe different relationships to the table:

• Oběd je na stole.
  Lunch is on the table.
  The food is physically on top of the table surface.

• Oběd je u stolu.
  Literally: Lunch is at the table.
  More naturally used for people:

  • Děti jsou u stolu. – The children are at the table.
    You could say Oběd je u stolu, but it would sound strange; for food you normally use na stole.

If I want to say “The lunch is on that table,” how do I change the sentence?

You add a demonstrative pronoun for “that” before stole:

• Oběd je na tom stole. – The lunch is on that table.

Parts:

• na – on
• tom – that (locative masculine singular)
• stole – table (locative singular)

Why is oběd capitalized here? Is that required?

In the example Oběd je na stole., Oběd is capitalized simply because it is the first word of the sentence.

Normally:

• oběd – lunch (not capitalized in the middle of a sentence)
• At the start of a sentence, the first letter is capitalized: Oběd je na stole.