Learn Hardcore German: Neben dem Sofa steht eine kleine Leselampe. - Next to the sofa there is a small reading lamp.

In this sentence, the lamp is just standing there; there is no movement toward the sofa. So we talk about a location, and we use the dative:

Nominative: das Sofa (the sofa – subject form)
Dative: dem Sofa (to/at the sofa – dative form)

So neben dem Sofa = beside the sofa (static location → dative).

When would it be neben das Sofa instead of neben dem Sofa?

You use neben das Sofa (accusative) when there is movement toward a position next to the sofa. For example:

Ich stelle die Lampe neben das Sofa.
I put the lamp next to the sofa.
→ The lamp is moving from somewhere else to a spot next to the sofa → accusative (das Sofa).

Compare:

Neben dem Sofa steht eine kleine Leselampe.
Next to the sofa stands a small reading lamp.
→ The lamp is already there, just standing → dative (dem Sofa).

What is the subject of this sentence? It doesn’t come first like in English.

The subject is eine kleine Leselampe.

Breakdown:

Neben dem Sofa – prepositional phrase of place (adverbial)
steht – verb
eine kleine Leselampe – subject (nominative)

German word order often puts place/time information first for emphasis or style. The verb still stays in second position, and the subject can come later:

Neben dem Sofa (1st position)
steht (2nd position – the finite verb)
eine kleine Leselampe (rest of the sentence)

So the standard subject-verb order is not broken; the subject is just after the verb, which is perfectly normal in German.

Why is the verb steht in second position even though the sentence starts with Neben dem Sofa?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position, but “second” means second element, not second word.

Here:

First element: Neben dem Sofa (a whole prepositional phrase)
Second element: steht (the verb)
Rest: eine kleine Leselampe

So the verb is still in the required second position, even though several words come before it.

Why is it eine kleine Leselampe and not ein kleine Leselampe?

Because Leselampe is feminine:

die Lampe → feminine noun
die Leselampe → also feminine

The indefinite article in the nominative is:

ein for masculine / neuter: ein Tisch, ein Sofa
eine for feminine: eine Lampe, eine Leselampe

Since the lamp is the subject (nominative feminine), you must use eine:

eine kleine Leselampe = a small reading lamp

Why is it kleine Leselampe and not just klein Leselampe?

Adjectives before a noun in German take an ending that shows gender, case, and number. This is called an attributive adjective.

Here we have:

Article: eine (indefinite, feminine, nominative)
Adjective: klein-
Noun: Leselampe (feminine, nominative)

The correct adjective ending after eine in feminine nominative is -e:

eine kleine Leselampe

If the adjective stands alone, without a noun immediately after it, it usually doesn’t take that kind of ending:

Die Leselampe ist klein. – The reading lamp is small.
(Here klein comes after the verb and not directly before the noun.)

What exactly is Leselampe? Is it always written as one word?

Leselampe is a compound noun:

lesen = to read
die Lampe = lamp

Together: die Leselampe = reading lamp / reading light.

In German, such combinations are normally written as one word and capitalized:

Leselampe, Küchentisch, Autotür, Wohnzimmerlampe

So you should not write Lese Lampe as two words.

Why use steht instead of ist? Could I say Neben dem Sofa ist eine kleine Leselampe?

You could say Neben dem Sofa ist eine kleine Leselampe, and it would be understandable, but steht is more natural here.

stehen = to stand (be in an upright position)
Used for furniture and upright objects: Der Schrank steht an der Wand.
sein = to be
More general, but often sounds less vivid or natural for describing where furniture is.

So:

Neben dem Sofa steht eine kleine Leselampe.
→ Emphasizes that the lamp is standing there (its physical position).
Neben dem Sofa ist eine kleine Leselampe.
→ Grammatically okay, but sounds less typical in everyday German.

Can I also say Es steht eine kleine Leselampe neben dem Sofa? What’s the difference in word order?

Yes, you can say:

Es steht eine kleine Leselampe neben dem Sofa.

Meaning is basically the same. The differences:

Neben dem Sofa steht eine kleine Leselampe.
→ Emphasis a bit more on the location (“Next to the sofa, there is …”).
Es steht eine kleine Leselampe neben dem Sofa.
→ Neutral introduction of a new object (“There is a small reading lamp standing next to the sofa.”)

The V2 rule is still obeyed:

Es (1st element)
steht (2nd element – verb)
eine kleine Leselampe neben dem Sofa (rest)

What case is eine kleine Leselampe, and what case is dem Sofa?

eine kleine Leselampe is in the nominative case:
It is the subject of the sentence (the thing that “stands”).
dem Sofa is in the dative case:
It is the object of the preposition neben in a static location context (no movement → dative).

So the structure is:

Nominative: eine kleine Leselampe (subject)
Verb: steht
Dative (with preposition): neben dem Sofa (where it stands)

Could I use bei dem Sofa instead of neben dem Sofa?

You could say bei dem Sofa, but it doesn’t sound as natural in this context.

neben = right next to, at the side of something.
→ Very clear spatial relation: the lamp is beside the sofa.
bei = at, near, with (more general “in the area of”).
→ Often used with people, workplaces, and locations:
bei meiner Freundin, bei der Arbeit, bei mir zu Hause.

For furniture placement, neben dem Sofa is the standard and most precise choice. Bei dem Sofa would sound a bit unusual for describing where a lamp stands in a room.