על השולחן יש שתי פרוסות לחם, חמאה וריבה.

On the table there are two slices of bread, butter, and jam.

Breakdown of על השולחן יש שתי פרוסות לחם, חמאה וריבה.

• שולחן: table
• יש: there is
• לחם: bread
• ו: and

Questions & Answers about על השולחן יש שתי פרוסות לחם, חמאה וריבה.

Why does the sentence begin with על השולחן instead of starting with יש?

Because Hebrew very often puts the location first in this kind of sentence.

So על השולחן יש... is a very natural pattern meaning On the table there is/are...

It sets the scene first, then tells you what is there.
You could also say יש ... על השולחן, but על השולחן יש... sounds especially natural when you are introducing what is in a place.

What does יש mean here?

יש means there is or there are.

So:

• יש ספר = there is a book
• יש ספרים = there are books

In this sentence, יש introduces the things that are on the table.

Why is it still יש even though there is more than one thing?

Because יש does not normally change for singular vs. plural in everyday Modern Hebrew.

So Hebrew says:

• יש תפוח = there is an apple
• יש תפוחים = there are apples

The same word, יש, works for both.

You may sometimes see ישנם or ישנן in more formal Hebrew, but in normal speech יש is the standard choice.