Learn Hardcore German: Der Treffpunkt ist eine kleine Bank, und beide Freunde warten dort schon gespannt. - The meeting point is a little bench, and both friends are already waiting there excitedly.

Treffpunkt literally means meeting point. It’s a compound of the verb treffen (to meet) and the noun Punkt (point). German frequently builds new nouns by sticking two words together—here “meet” + “point.”

Why is there a comma before und in this sentence, when I thought you don’t put commas before und?

According to official German punctuation rules, you normally omit the comma before a simple coordinating conjunction like und when it links two main clauses. So you could write:
Der Treffpunkt ist eine kleine Bank und beide Freunde warten dort schon gespannt.
The comma in the original is a stylistic choice by the author for clearer separation, but it isn’t required.

Why is Bank translated as bench here, and not as bank (financial institution)?

In German Bank can mean either a bench or a bank (institution). Context tells you which one:

A “small bank” as a business makes little sense; banks aren’t described as small meeting spots.
In everyday German, people agree to meet on a Bank in a park.
Hence here Bank = bench.

Why is the adjective kleine inflected with -e after eine?

After the indefinite article eine, feminine nouns in the nominative singular take the weak adjective ending -e. Since Bank is feminine (die Bank) and we have a predicate nominative with ist, it’s correctly eine kleine Bank.

Why is beide Freunde used without an article, instead of die beiden Freunde?

Both forms are possible:

beide Freunde (both friends) is a neutral way to say “the two friends” without extra emphasis.
die beiden Freunde adds a bit more focus on “those two specific friends.”
Native speakers often drop the article for brevity in simple statements.

What does schon add to the meaning, and how is it used here?

schon means already. It indicates that the friends have been waiting for some time and are now in a state of eager anticipation.

What is the function of gespannt in this sentence, and why is there no sein (to be) before it?

gespannt is an adjective meaning eager, excited or in suspense. In German, you can use adjectives adverbially to describe how an action is performed—here, it tells us how the friends are waiting (“waiting eagerly”). Because it functions like an adverb, you don’t need a separate sein; the adjective directly modifies warten.

Why is gespannt placed at the end of the sentence?

German main clauses often put the conjugated verb in second position and leave modifiers—especially adverbial adjectives like gespannt—toward the end. In the sequence dort (place) – schon (time) – gespannt (manner), you get a clear “location–time–manner” flow.

What is the difference between dort, da, and dorthin, and why is dort used here?

da = “there” (colloquial, neutral location)
dort = “there” (more formal, neutral location)
dorthin = “to there” (movement toward a place)
Since the friends are already at the meeting spot (no movement), dort is the most natural choice.

Why is eine kleine Bank in the nominative case, and why is the adjective weakly inflected?

The verb ist is a copula (linking verb), so its complement (eine kleine Bank) takes the nominative case—the same as the subject. Following an indefinite article (eine) in nominative feminine singular, adjectives take the weak ending -e, yielding kleine.