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Questions & Answers about Telefon jest na stole.
Why doesn’t Polish use “the” in Telefon jest na stole?
Polish has no definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an. Nouns stand alone. Context or word order often tells you whether something is definite or indefinite.
Why is stole used instead of stół?
Stole is the locative case of stół (“table”). After certain prepositions (like na when indicating location), Polish changes the noun’s ending to show its grammatical role.
What case is stole, and why is it used here?
Stole is locative. The locative case in Polish is used almost exclusively after prepositions to express “where.” Since na here means “on,” it requires the locative form stole.
Why does the preposition na take locative here?
Polish prepositions govern specific cases. When na expresses a fixed location (“on something”), it governs the locative case. (If it expressed motion “onto,” it would take the accusative—na stół.)
Why is the verb jest used instead of something like “lies” (leży)?
Jest is the present tense of “to be” (być). It simply states existence or location: “is.” You can also say Telefon leży na stole (“The phone lies on the table”) for emphasis on the position, but jest is more neutral.
Why is it jest and not są?
Jest is singular (“is”). Są is plural (“are”). Since telefon is one object (singular), you use jest.
What gender is telefon, and does that affect anything here?
Telefon is a masculine inanimate noun. In the present tense with jest, the verb doesn’t change for gender. Gender matters in past tense or in adjectives (e.g., nowy telefon, nowa książka).
Where is the stress in Telefon jest na stole, and how do you pronounce it?
Polish words are almost always stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable. So you say te-LE-fon, and stó-le. The full sentence: te-LE-fon jest na STO-le.