Talia jest na stole.

Jest means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of być (to be).

So:

• Talia = Talia
• jest = is
• na stole = on the table

Together: Talia jest na stole = Talia is on the table.

In present-tense sentences like this, Polish usually keeps jest. In some other sentence types, forms of to be can be omitted, but not normally in a basic location sentence like this one.

Because after na the noun changes depending on the meaning.

Here, the sentence describes location: Talia is already on the table.
When na means on in the sense of location, Polish uses the locative case.

• dictionary form: stół = table
• locative form: stole = on the table / about the table

So:

• na stole = on the table

By contrast, na stół uses the accusative and usually suggests movement toward a surface, like onto the table.

Compare:

• Talia jest na stole. = Talia is on the table.
• Kładę książkę na stół. = I am putting the book onto the table.

Stole is the locative singular form of stół.

The pattern is:

• nominative: stół = table
• locative: (na) stole = on the table

A very common thing for English speakers to learn is that Polish prepositions often require specific cases. Here:

• na
  • locative = location
• na
  • accusative = movement onto something

So in this sentence, stole is locative because the sentence answers where?

Here na means on.

So na stole literally means on the table.

However, na does not always translate the same way in English. Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• on
• onto
• at
• sometimes other related meanings

For this sentence, the natural translation is simply on the table.

Yes. Polish word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Talia jest na stole.

But you could also say:

• Na stole jest Talia.

That version puts more focus on where she is or can sound like you are identifying who is on the table.

In English, word order changes are much more restricted. In Polish, the meaning usually stays similar, but the focus or emphasis changes.

In this sentence, you should normally keep jest.

• Talia jest na stole. = correct
• Talia na stole. = not a normal full sentence in standard Polish for this meaning

You might hear short, incomplete phrases without jest in headlines, notes, or very informal speech, but for a normal learner sentence, use jest.

If it is capitalized as Talia, it is most naturally understood as a proper name, probably a woman’s name.

But talia with a lowercase t is also a Polish word, though it usually means things like:

• waist
• figure
• in some contexts, part of the phrase talia kart = a deck of cards

So capitalization matters:

• Talia = probably the name Talia
• talia = a common noun

In your sentence, because it starts with Talia and it is capitalized, a learner would usually read it as a name.

Stole is pronounced roughly like STO-leh.

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• st is pronounced clearly, as in English stop
• o is a short Polish o, not the English ow
• le sounds like leh
• stress in Polish usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, so here the stress is on STO

So:

• stół sounds roughly like stoow (with ó pronounced like u)
• stole sounds roughly like STO-leh

Because Polish nouns change form depending on their grammatical role. This is called inflection.

English does very little of this with nouns, but Polish does it constantly.

For stół:

• stół = table
• stole = on the table

This kind of change can look unpredictable at first, but it is normal in Polish. Many nouns change their endings, and sometimes part of the stem changes too.

So the learner should not think stole is a different word. It is just a different grammatical form of stół.

Then you would usually need a verb of movement, and after na you would use the accusative.

For example:

• Kładę książkę na stół. = I’m putting the book onto the table.
• Wchodzi na stół. = He/She is climbing onto the table.

But with jest, you are describing a state, not movement:

• Talia jest na stole. = Talia is on the table.

So the important contrast is:

• na stole = on the table, location
• na stół = onto the table, direction/movement

Only a little, and not very visibly here.

Polish nouns have grammatical gender. In this sentence:

• Talia is feminine if it is a woman’s name
• stół is masculine

But because there is no adjective here, and jest does not change for gender in the present tense, you do not see much gender marking.

Gender would become more visible in other sentences, especially in the past tense or with adjectives. For example, feminine subjects affect past-tense forms.

So yes, gender matters in Polish, but this particular sentence does not show much of it.