Свічка й сірники на столі.

Й means and.

In this sentence, й is just a variant of і, which also means and. Ukrainian often switches between і and й for smoother pronunciation.

So:

• свічка і сірники
• свічка й сірники

both mean the same thing: a candle and matches.

In practice, й is often used after a vowel sound, where і might sound less smooth.

Because Ukrainian normally omits the present-tense verb to be in sentences like this.

So where English says:

• The candle and matches are on the table
• There is a candle and matches on the table

Ukrainian can simply say:

• Свічка й сірники на столі.

This is completely normal. The idea of is/are is understood from context.

Because на столі means on the table in the sense of location.

After на, Ukrainian uses different cases depending on meaning:

• на столі = on the table / located on the table
• на стіл = onto the table / movement toward the table

So in this sentence, the candle and matches are already there, so Ukrainian uses the locative case:

• стіл → basic dictionary form
• на столі → location

They are in the nominative case.

That is the basic form used for the subject or for naming things in a sentence.

Here:

• свічка = nominative singular
• сірники = nominative plural

They are the things being talked about, while на столі tells you where they are.

Сірники is plural. It means matches.

The singular form is:

• сірник = a match

So:

• сірник = one match
• сірники = matches

That is why the sentence refers to one candle and more than one match.

It can work as either, depending on context.

Ukrainian often uses the same structure for both:

• a simple statement about location: A candle and matches are on the table
• an existential idea: There is a candle and matches on the table

English usually has to choose one wording, but Ukrainian often does not make that distinction explicitly here.

Because Ukrainian has no articles.

So свічка can mean:

• a candle
• the candle

and сірники can mean:

• matches
• the matches

The exact meaning depends on context, not on a separate word like a or the.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English word order.

For example, you could also say:

• На столі свічка й сірники.

This still means basically the same thing, but it shifts the focus a bit.

Very roughly:

• Свічка й сірники на столі. = focuses first on the objects
• На столі свічка й сірники. = focuses first on the location

Both are natural, and context determines which sounds best.

It can absolutely function as a full sentence in Ukrainian.

English usually expects a verb like is/are, so it may look incomplete to an English speaker. But in Ukrainian, a present-tense sentence like this is normal and complete.

So Свічка й сірники на столі. is a perfectly natural sentence meaning that the candle and matches are on the table.