U postele je malý stůl.

to be

Breakdown of U postele je malý stůl.

• malý: small
• stůl: the table
• u: by

Questions & Answers about U postele je malý stůl.

What does u mean in this sentence?

U is a preposition that usually means by, at, or near.
In U postele je malý stůl, it means something like by the bed or next to the bed.

So the sentence literally starts with a location:

• u postele = by the bed

Why is it postele and not postel?

Because the preposition u requires the genitive case.

The basic dictionary form is:

• postel = bed

But after u, it changes to:

• u postele = by the bed

This is a very common pattern in Czech:

• u domu = by the house
• u školy = by the school
• u postele = by the bed

What case is postele?