Na stole jest kropla wody.

to be

Breakdown of Na stole jest kropla wody.

• woda: the water
• na: on
• stół: the table

Questions & Answers about Na stole jest kropla wody.

What does the phrase Na stole literally mean, and why is it stole?

It means “on the table.” With location, na takes the Locative case, so stół (table, nominative) changes to the Locative singular stole. Polish has no articles, so there’s no separate word for “the.”

Why is it na stole (Locative) and not na stół (Accusative)?

Polish uses:

• na
  • Locative for a static location: Coś jest na stole (Something is on the table).
• na
  • Accusative for movement onto a surface: Kładę to na stół (I put it onto the table).

Why is stole spelled with o and l, not ó and ł like stół?

It’s a stem alternation in declension. The nominative form is stół; in the Locative it becomes stole (ó → o, ł → l). Other cases keep ł, e.g., Instrumental stołem, Dative stołowi.

Why is it jest and not są?