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?