Breakdown of Die Lampe steht schon auf dem Schreibtisch.
stehen
to stand
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
schon
already
der Schreibtisch
the desk
Questions & Answers about Die Lampe steht schon auf dem Schreibtisch.
Why does the sentence use steht instead of stellt?
Stehen describes a state or location (where something currently is), while stellen describes an active motion (placing something upright). Because the lamp is already resting on the desk, we use the location verb steht.
Why is it auf dem Schreibtisch (dative) instead of auf den Schreibtisch (accusative)?
Auf is a two-way preposition. Since stehen is a location verb that tells us where something is (answering the question "where?" or wo?), the preposition takes the dative case. The masculine noun der Schreibtisch changes to dem Schreibtisch. If someone were actively moving the lamp onto the desk, we would use accusative (auf den Schreibtisch).
Could I say Die Lampe liegt auf dem Schreibtisch instead?
Usually not. German is very specific about how things are located. Because a standard desk lamp has a base and rests upright, it "stands" (steht). You would only use liegt (lies) if the lamp were knocked over or resting completely flat on its side.
Where should schon go in the sentence? Could I put it at the very end?