W tej kawiarni sól i pieprz stoją na każdym stole.

In this café, salt and pepper stand on every table.

Breakdown of W tej kawiarni sól i pieprz stoją na każdym stole.

• w: in
• i: and
• na: on
• stół: the table

Questions & Answers about W tej kawiarni sól i pieprz stoją na każdym stole.

Why is it stoją and not są?

Polish often uses “posture” verbs for inanimate objects to describe how they are situated:

• stać = to stand (upright objects like bottles, shakers)
• leżeć = to lie (flat objects, sachets, napkins)
• wisieć = to hang

So Sól i pieprz stoją… tells you the salt and pepper shakers are standing upright on the tables. You could use są (“are”) to make a more general existence statement, but it’s less specific and less natural here. If they were packets lying flat, you’d say leżą.

Why is the verb plural (stoją)?

Because the subject is a compound: sól i pieprz (“salt and pepper”). With two (or more) nouns joined by i (“and”), Polish normally uses a plural verb: stoją. In the past tense this would also show non‑masculine‑personal plural agreement: Sól i pieprz stały na stole.

Can I say singular stoi: “Na każdym stole stoi sól i pieprz”?

Yes—when the verb comes first and the subject is an enumeration after it, Polish often uses a singular verb (this is common and accepted):

• Na każdym stole stoi sól i pieprz.
• You can also say: Na każdym stole stoją sól i pieprz. Both are correct. But if the subject comes first (as in your original sentence), you must use the plural: Sól i pieprz stoją…