On stoi obok stołu.

he

Breakdown of On stoi obok stołu.

• stół: the table
• obok: next to
• stać: to stand

Questions & Answers about On stoi obok stołu.

Why does obok require the genitive case (stołu) instead of the nominative (stół)?

In Polish, certain prepositions govern specific cases. Obok is one of the few that takes the genitive.

• Nominative (subject form): stół
• Genitive (after obok): stołu
  So you cannot say obok stół—you must use obok stołu to mean “next to the table.”

Why aren’t there any words for “the” or “a” before stół?

Polish has no articles. Definiteness (the vs. a) is inferred from context or added words like ten (“this”) or jakiś (“some/a certain”). In On stoi obok stołu, you simply get “He is standing next to the table,” and the listener understands whether it’s a specific table.

Can we omit the pronoun on? Why is it included here?

Yes, Polish verbs carry person/number endings, so you can drop the pronoun if context is clear:

• Stoi obok stołu.
  This still means “(He) is standing next to the table.”
  On is used here for emphasis or clarity (e.g. contrasting him with someone else), or simply to introduce the subject explicitly.

What form is stoi, and why not some other verb form?

Stoi is the third person singular present of stać (“to stand”).
Conjugation in present tense:

• ja stoję
• ty stoisz
• on/ona/ono stoi
  It specifically describes the state of standing. You wouldn’t use staje (“begins to stand”) or siedzi (“sits”) unless you meant “he’s starting to stand” or “he’s sitting.”

Could you change the word order, for example Obok stołu stoi on? Does it sound natural?

Yes, you can reorder for stylistic reasons or emphasis:

• Obok stołu stoi on. (Emphasizes he, as in “It’s him who is standing next to the table.”)
• On stoi obok stołu. (Neutral, standard SVO word order.)
  Polish is flexible; moving phrases around shifts the focus but keeps the same core meaning.

How would you ask “Where is he standing?” in Polish?

You would say:
Gdzie on stoi?
Or simply Gdzie stoi? since the pronoun can be dropped.

• Gdzie = “Where”
• stoi = “(he) is standing”

What’s the difference between obok, koło and przy, all meaning “next to”?

All three can mean “next to,” but with slight nuances and case requirements:

• obok
  • genitive (stołu) – emphasizes beside or alongside.
• koło
  • genitive (stołu) – more colloquial “by” or “near.”
• przy
  • locative (stole) – “at” or “by,” often implying contact or proximity: przy stole = “at the table” (e.g. sitting at).
    Example contrasts:
• Stoi obok stołu. (He stands beside the table.)
• Stoi koło stołu. (He stands by/near the table.)
• Stoi przy stole. (He stands at the table, perhaps touching it or very close.)

What if I want to say “A chair is standing next to the table”?

Swap in krzesło (chair) as the subject, still using genitive after obok:
Obok stołu stoi krzesło.
Word order can vary:

• Krzesło stoi obok stołu.
  Either way, you keep obok stołu in the genitive.