Learn Hardcore German: Der Ball liegt schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.

You could say Der Ball ist auf dem Elfmeterpunkt, and people would understand you, but in sports commentary or natural description of where an object is, Germans strongly prefer liegen for a ball that is resting on the ground.

So: ist is more neutral (“is located / is”), while liegt is more specific (“is lying there”).

Why do Germans use liegen for a ball? It’s round, it’s not obviously “lying” or “standing”.

In German, it’s about the typical way an object rests, not about literal physical contact points.

A ball on the ground: Der Ball liegt auf dem Rasen.
A bottle on a shelf:
- If it’s upright: Die Flasche steht auf dem Regal.
- If it’s on its side: Die Flasche liegt auf dem Regal.

A ball on the ground is simply conceptualized as “lying” (resting on a surface) → liegen.
You would only say Der Ball steht … in special contexts (e.g. a ball on a tee in golf, where it’s more like “standing on a little holder”), but even then liegt is more common.

What is the function of schon in this sentence?

schon here means already and adds a nuance of “sooner than expected” or “earlier than you might think.”

Der Ball liegt auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
→ The ball is on the penalty spot. (neutral)
Der Ball liegt schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
→ The ball is already on the penalty spot.

Depending on context, schon can suggest:

The ball was placed there earlier than expected.
Things are progressing quickly (e.g. the penalty is about to be taken).

It’s a very common little word that often adds nuance like “already, indeed, actually,” etc. Here, the straightforward meaning is already.

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

The preposition auf can take either accusative or dative:

Accusative (movement to a place):
- auf den Elfmeterpunkt → onto the penalty spot
- Example: Der Schiedsrichter legt den Ball auf den Elfmeterpunkt.
  → The referee puts the ball onto the penalty spot.
Dative (no movement, just position at/in a place):
- auf dem Elfmeterpunkt → on the penalty spot
- Example: Der Ball liegt auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
  → The ball is (lying) on the penalty spot.

In the given sentence, we are describing location, not movement. That’s why dative (dem) is used: auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.

Why is it dem and not der? What case and gender is Punkt?

Punkt is a masculine noun in German:

Nominative singular: der Punkt
Accusative singular: den Punkt
Dative singular: dem Punkt

In auf dem Elfmeterpunkt we have:

auf = two-way preposition
No movement, just location → dative
Masculine noun → dative masculine article dem

So dem is the dative masculine form of the definite article for Punkt.

What exactly does Elfmeterpunkt mean, and why is it one long word?

Elfmeterpunkt is a compound noun. German loves to build long words this way.

Breakdown:

elf = eleven
Meter = meters
Elfmeter (literally “eleven meters”)
→ in football (soccer) this means penalty (as in “penalty kick”), because the penalty spot is 11 meters from the goal line.
Punkt = point / spot / dot

So:

Elfmeterpunkt = penalty spot (the white mark 11 m from the goal).

It’s capitalized because all nouns are capitalized in German, and it’s written as one word because noun compounds are normally merged into a single word in standard German spelling.

Is Elf here just the number eleven, or does it mean something else?

Here, elf is simply the number eleven.

In football vocabulary:

elf Meter literally: eleven meters
der Elfmeter: the penalty kick (named after the distance: 11 meters)
der Elfmeterpunkt: the spot from which you take the penalty

So Elf in Elfmeterpunkt is not “elf” as in the mythical creature in English; it is the German number 11.

Could I say Der Ball ist schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt instead?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and understandable.

However, there is a nuance:

Der Ball liegt schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
- More natural in German for describing the ball’s position on the ground.
- Emphasizes the way it’s situated (lying there, ready).
Der Ball ist schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
- More neutral and slightly less idiomatic in this specific sports context.
- You might hear it, but native speakers will usually prefer liegt.

So: ist is not wrong, but liegt sounds more natural and vivid.

Where else can schon go in the sentence? Is its position fixed?

The default and most natural position is exactly where you see it:

Der Ball liegt schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.

Other possibilities are either unusual or change the focus:

Schon liegt der Ball auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
- Grammatically possible, but sounds poetic or very marked. Emphasizes “already” strongly.
Der Ball liegt auf dem Elfmeterpunkt schon.
- Sounds wrong/unnatural in standard German in this context.

In normal speech, schon typically comes after the conjugated verb in main clauses:

Er ist schon da.
Wir haben schon gegessen.

So in this sentence, it’s in exactly the right and natural place.

What tense is liegt here, and how would you say this in English?

liegt is present tense (Präsens).

German present tense usually covers both the English simple present and the English present continuous.

So Der Ball liegt schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt. can be translated as:

“The ball is already lying on the penalty spot.” (present continuous)
or more naturally: “The ball is already on the penalty spot.”

Both are correct; English usually doesn’t insist on “lying” here.

How would you say this sentence in the past and in the future in German?

Simple past (Präteritum):
- Der Ball lag schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
- “The ball was already on the penalty spot.”
Future (Futur I):
- Der Ball wird schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt liegen.
  - Literal: “The ball will already be lying on the penalty spot.”
  - This can also express assumption, like “The ball is probably already on the penalty spot.”

In everyday speech, Germans often still use the present tense + time expression to talk about the future:

Gleich liegt der Ball schon auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
→ “In a moment, the ball will already be on the penalty spot.”

Why do we use a definite article: auf dem Elfmeterpunkt and not just auf Elfmeterpunkt?

In German, most specific, concrete locations take an article:

auf dem Tisch (on the table)
am Tor (at the goal)
an der Mittellinie (on the halfway line)

The Elfmeterpunkt is a specific, clearly defined spot on the pitch. You are talking about the penalty spot, not “a” generic penalty spot. So German uses the definite article: dem.

Saying auf Elfmeterpunkt without an article sounds ungrammatical in standard German.

How would you negate this sentence?

A natural negation is:

Der Ball liegt noch nicht auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
→ “The ball is not on the penalty spot yet.”

Breakdown:

noch nicht = not yet
Word order: the negation comes after the verb but before the prepositional phrase:
- liegt noch nicht auf dem Elfmeterpunkt

You could say:

Der Ball liegt nicht auf dem Elfmeterpunkt.
→ “The ball is not on the penalty spot.” (no “yet” nuance)

But in game commentary, noch nicht is very common when you’re expecting it to be there soon.

How do you pronounce Elfmeterpunkt?

Pronunciation tips (in IPA: [ˈɛlfˌmeːtɐˌpʊŋkt]):

Elf: [ɛlf]
- Short e like “e” in “bed”
- Clear lf at the end
meter: [ˈmeːtɐ]
- Long e: meee
- Final -er is more like -uh in many accents → mee-tuh
punkt: [pʊŋkt]
- u like in English “put”
- Final -ngkt cluster: pungk-t

Put together:
Elf–mee–tuh–pungk-t
Slight main stress on Elf and a secondary one on me: Élf-mè-ter-punkt.