A fotel mellett kis asztal áll, rajta pedig egy gyertya van.

Because Hungarian uses many postpositions instead of prepositions. A postposition comes after the noun.

So:

• a fotel mellett = next to the armchair
• literally: the armchair next to

This is completely normal in Hungarian. Other common postpositions work the same way, for example:

• az asztal alatt = under the table
• a ház előtt = in front of the house

No special case ending appears here. With mellett, the noun usually stays in its basic form, with the article if needed:

• a fotel mellett
• az asztal mellett
• a ház mellett

So the important thing to learn is the whole pattern noun + mellett.

Both kis and kicsi mean small, but kis is very commonly used directly before a noun.

So:

• kis asztal = small table

This is the most natural, compact form here.

kicsi asztal is possible, but it can sound a bit more marked, more colloquial, or more emotionally colored in some contexts. For a straightforward description, kis asztal is the normal choice.

A learner often expects egy kis asztal, and that is absolutely possible.

So both of these can work:

• A fotel mellett kis asztal áll.
• A fotel mellett egy kis asztal áll.

The version without egy is a bit more compact and descriptive, especially in scene-setting or written description. The version with egy feels a little more explicit and is often easier for learners to process.

So yes: egy kis asztal is also correct.

Hungarian often uses different verbs for the position of something:

• áll = stand
• fekszik = lie
• ül = sit
• van = be / exist / be there

A table is thought of as something that stands upright on its legs, so áll is natural:

• Az asztal a szobában áll. = The table stands in the room.

In English, we usually just say there is or is, but Hungarian often prefers a more specific positional verb.

Because here the speaker is simply introducing the candle’s existence/location on the table:

• rajta pedig egy gyertya van = and on it there is a candle

Using van is the most neutral way to say that something is there.

You could sometimes hear áll with objects that are physically upright, but van is the safest and most general choice here. So the contrast is:

• the table stands there → áll
• the candle is there / there is a candle → van

Rajta means on it (or depending on context, on him/her).

Here it refers back to the table:

• rajta = on it = on the table

So instead of repeating az asztalon, Hungarian uses the pronoun form rajta.

Think of it like this:

• az asztalon = on the table
• rajta = on it

This is a very common way to avoid repetition.

Pedig is a linking word with several uses. Here it helps move to the next detail of the description, something like:

• and
• and on it
• while/on it, in turn

In this sentence, it gives a natural transition:

• A fotel mellett kis asztal áll, rajta pedig egy gyertya van.
• Next to the armchair there is a small table, and on it there is a candle.

Very often, pedig does not need a separate strong translation in English; it just helps organize the Hungarian sentence.

Because Hungarian word order is flexible and often shows what the sentence is about first.

Here, rajta is placed early because the speaker is continuing the description from the table and now says what is on it.

So the structure is roughly:

• As for on it, there is a candle.

That is why rajta comes first: it is the topic of the second clause.

Other word orders are possible, but they create a different flow or emphasis:

• Rajta pedig egy gyertya van. → natural continuation from the table
• Egy gyertya van rajta. → more neutral, introducing the candle first

Yes, slightly. The sentence is very natural, but it has a somewhat descriptive scene-setting feel.

A more neutral everyday version might be:

• A fotel mellett áll egy kis asztal, és rajta van egy gyertya.
• or Van egy kis asztal a fotel mellett, rajta egy gyertyával in a different style

The given sentence is perfectly good Hungarian, especially for describing a room or a picture. It sounds a bit more crafted than the simplest everyday phrasing.

Yes. In English, the most natural translation often uses there is for both:

• There is a small table next to the armchair, and there is a candle on it.

But Hungarian prefers to distinguish:

• asztal áll because a table typically stands
• gyertya van because the second clause simply states that the candle is there

So even when English uses the same verb, Hungarian may choose different ones depending on physical position and style.