Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok, at may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa.

Filipino often puts the location or setting first and then introduces the thing being talked about.

So:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok
• literally: At the side of the stove is the ladle

This is very natural in Filipino. In English, we would usually say The ladle is beside the stove, but Filipino commonly uses this reversed structure.

• nasa tabi ng kalan = is beside the stove
• ang sandok = the ladle

So the sentence is not strange or poetic; it is a normal Filipino word order.

Nasa means is in / is at / is on / is located at, depending on context.

It comes from:

• na
• sa

But as a learner, it is easiest to understand nasa as a single very common location word.

Examples:

• Nasa mesa ang libro. = The book is on the table.
• Nasa kusina si Ana. = Ana is in the kitchen.

In your sentence:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok = The ladle is beside the stove.

They do different jobs.

In this sentence:

• sa marks a location
• ng links one noun to another, often like of in English

Breakdown:

• tabi ng kalan = side of the stove
• sa lamesa = on/at the table

So:

• sa = at, in, on, to
• ng = of, or a linker showing relationship between nouns

That means:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan = is at the side of the stove
• sa lamesa = on the table

Tabi means side or beside.

When you say:

• tabi ng kalan

it literally means the side of the stove, but naturally it means beside the stove or next to the stove.

Other examples:

• tabi ng pinto = beside the door
• tabi ng kama = beside the bed

So nasa tabi ng kalan means is beside the stove.

Ang marks the noun that is the main topic or focus of the clause.

In:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok

the main thing being identified or located is sandok.

So:

• ang sandok = the ladle / the spoon-like utensil being talked about

A useful way to think of it is:

• ang often marks the main noun of the sentence

It does not exactly equal English the, but in many translations it can feel similar.

Sandok usually means a ladle or a large serving spoon, especially one used for scooping rice, soup, or other food.

Depending on context, it may be translated as:

• ladle
• serving spoon
• sometimes simply spoon, if the exact type is not important

In kitchen contexts, ladle is often the best translation.

May is used to express there is / there are / has / have.

So:

• may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa = there is still a little oil on the table

This is different from nasa, which tells you where something is.

Compare:

• Nasa lamesa ang bote. = The bottle is on the table.
• May bote sa lamesa. = There is a bottle on the table.

In your sentence, the second clause is introducing the existence of some oil on the table, so may is the natural choice.

Kaunti means a little or a small amount.

When it comes before a noun, it often changes form with a linker:

• kaunti + -ng → kaunting

So:

• kaunting mantika = a little oil

This is very common in Filipino. The -ng links the descriptive word to the noun that follows it.

Similar examples:

• maliit na bahay = small house
• bagong damit = new clothes
• kaunting tubig = a little water

So kaunting is simply the form used before mantika.

Pa is a very common word that often means still, yet, or more, depending on context.

Here:

• may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa

means:

• there is still a little oil on the table
• or there is some oil left on the table

So pa gives the idea that the oil remains there.

Compare:

• May tubig pa. = There is still water left.
• Gusto ko pa. = I want more.
• Hindi pa. = Not yet.

So in this sentence, pa is best understood as still.

Filipino often does not need a separate word like English is/are in the same way English does.

In the first clause:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok

the idea of is located is already contained in nasa.

In the second clause:

• may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa

may already means there is/there are.

So Filipino does not always translate word-for-word from English. Instead, certain words like nasa and may already carry the function that English expresses with is or there is.

Mantika means oil or cooking oil, and sometimes grease, depending on context.

In a kitchen sentence like this one, it most naturally means:

• oil
• possibly cooking oil

So:

• kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa = a little oil still on the table

At means and.

It joins the two clauses:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok
• at may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa

So the full sentence connects two related observations:

1. The ladle is beside the stove.
2. There is still a little oil on the table.

No, that would sound unnatural for this meaning.

If you want to say There is still a little oil on the table, you should say:

• May kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa.

Why?

Because sa lamesa marks the location where the oil is.

If you say:

• ang lamesa

then lamesa becomes the main topic noun, which changes the structure and does not naturally express on the table.

So for location, sa lamesa is the correct choice here.

No. Lamesa is very common and comes from Spanish. Another common Filipino word is:

• mesa

Both are used, though lamesa is very familiar in everyday speech in many places.

So:

• sa lamesa and
• sa mesa

can both mean on the table, depending on the speaker and region.

A very literal breakdown would be something like:

• Nasa tabi ng kalan ang sandok = At-the-side of-the-stove the ladle is

• at may kaunting mantika pa sa lamesa = and there-is a-little oil still on-the-table

A smoother English translation is:

• The ladle is beside the stove, and there is still a little oil on the table.

This shows an important point: Filipino and English often organize information differently, even when the meaning is simple and clear.