Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.

The wrapping paper is still on the table.

Breakdown of Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.

• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• der Tisch: the table
• noch: still
• auf: on
• liegen: to lie
• das Geschenkpapier: the wrapping paper

Questions & Answers about Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.

Why is it liegt and not just ist?

German often prefers a “posture verb” instead of sein (to be) when talking about where something is:

• liegen = to lie (be lying horizontally, resting on a surface)
• stehen = to stand (be upright/vertical)
• sitzen = to sit (be in a sitting position)

So:

• Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.
  → The wrapping paper is lying on the table. (spread out / resting there)

Using ist is possible:

• Das Geschenkpapier ist noch auf dem Tisch.

…but it’s more neutral and less descriptive. liegt gives the idea that it’s lying there on the surface (probably flat).

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What exactly does noch mean here?

In this sentence, noch means “still” (as in “It’s still on the table”).

Common meanings of noch:

1. still, yet (continuing state)

   • Er ist noch hier. – He is still here.

2. even, additionally

   • noch mehr – even more / more still

Here, noch says that the situation hasn’t changed yet: the wrapping paper remains on the table, although maybe you expected it to be gone by now.

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Why is it auf dem Tisch and not auf den Tisch?

The preposition auf can take either dative or accusative, depending on meaning:

• Dative = location (where something is)
• Accusative = direction (where something is going / is being put)

Compare:

• Das Geschenkpapier liegt auf dem Tisch. (dative)
  → It is lying on the table. (no movement)

• Ich lege das Geschenkpapier auf den Tisch. (accusative)
  → I put the wrapping paper (down) onto the table. (movement toward the table)

In your sentence it’s clearly a location, so auf + dative → auf dem Tisch.

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Why is it dem Tisch and not den Tisch?

Tisch (table) has the grammatical gender masculine:

• der Tisch – nominative singular

The forms of the definite article der in masculine singular are:

• Nominative: der Tisch (subject)
• Accusative: den Tisch (direct object / direction)
• Dative: dem Tisch (location, “on/at the table” etc.)

With auf + location, we use the dative, so:

• auf dem Tisch, not auf den Tisch.

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Why is it das Geschenkpapier? How is the gender decided?

Geschenkpapier is grammatically neuter, so it takes das.

Rules behind this:

1. The base noun Papier is neuter: das Papier.
2. In most compound nouns, the last part controls the gender.
   
   • Geschenk (gift) + Papier (paper) → Geschenkpapier
   • It inherits the gender of Papier → neuter → das Geschenkpapier.

This is why it’s das Geschenkpapier, not der or die.

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Why is Geschenkpapier one word and not Geschenk Papier?

In German, it’s very common to form compound nouns by joining words together:

• Geschenk (gift) + Papier (paper)
  → Geschenkpapier (wrapping paper, literally “gift‑paper”)

Writing them as two separate words (Geschenk Papier) would be incorrect and change the meaning (it would look like two unrelated nouns standing next to each other).

So the normal way is one word: Geschenkpapier.

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Could I say „Das Geschenkpapier ist noch auf dem Tisch.“ instead? Is that wrong?

It’s not wrong; it’s grammatically correct.

Nuance:

• liegt: slightly more descriptive; we picture the paper lying/spread on the surface.
• ist: more neutral; just states its location without specifying posture.

Both are acceptable. In everyday speech, many people would still prefer liegt here, because it “fits” a flat object on a surface.

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Could I change the word order and say „Noch liegt das Geschenkpapier auf dem Tisch.“?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but the emphasis changes.

• Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.
  → neutral, everyday word order.

• Noch liegt das Geschenkpapier auf dem Tisch.
  → puts noch in the focus at the start. Sounds a bit more dramatic, poetic, or emphatic, like: “The wrapping paper is still on the table (for now)…“

So you can say it, but the original is the more typical everyday order.

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Can I put noch at the end: „Das Geschenkpapier liegt auf dem Tisch noch.“?

This sounds unnatural in standard German.

The usual positions for noch are:

• After the conjugated verb:

  • Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch. ✔

• Or before the main phrase it modifies (for emphasis):

  • Noch liegt das Geschenkpapier auf dem Tisch. ✔

Putting noch at the very end (…auf dem Tisch noch) is possible only in a few special contexts and sounds marked or dialectal here. For a learner, it’s best to avoid that position in this sentence.

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Why is it auf dem Tisch and not am Tisch?

auf dem Tisch and am Tisch mean different things:

• auf dem Tisch = on the table (on top of the surface)

  • location is on the tabletop.

• am Tisch = at the table

  • usually refers to people sitting or standing at the table, not on top of it:
  • Wir sitzen am Tisch. – We’re sitting at the table.

The wrapping paper is lying on the surface, so auf dem Tisch is correct.

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How would this change if there were several pieces of wrapping paper?

You have two main options:

1. Treat Geschenkpapier as a mass noun (like “paper” in English). Then the original sentence still works for multiple pieces:

   • Das Geschenkpapier liegt noch auf dem Tisch.
     → The wrapping paper (in general, maybe several sheets) is still on the table.

2. Use a clear plural noun:

   • Die Geschenkpapiere liegen noch auf dem Tisch.
     → The wrapping papers are still on the table.
     This is grammatically correct but stylistically less common in everyday speech.

Most natives would stick with option 1 unless they specifically want to count or distinguish different kinds of wrapping paper.

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How do you pronounce Geschenkpapier and where is the stress?

Pronunciation (roughly in IPA): [ɡəˈʃɛŋkpaˌpiːɐ̯]

• Ge-: like guh in “get” but shorter and unstressed.
• -schenk-:
  
  • sch = like sh
  • e = like e in “bet”
  • nk as in English “bank”.
• pa-: like pa in “pasta”.
• -pier: like pee‑er, but said smoothly as one syllable [piːɐ̯].

Stress:

• Main stress on -schenk-: Ge*SCHENK*papier.
• A secondary, lighter stress on -pa-.