Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch.

Zigarette is a feminine noun in German, so its basic article is die.

• der = masculine
• die = feminine
• das = neuter

So the dictionary form is die Zigarette.

There is no guaranteed way to guess every noun’s gender, so it is best to learn each noun together with its article:

• die Zigarette
• der Tisch
• das Buch

That said, many nouns ending in -e are feminine, and Zigarette fits that pattern.

Because Tisch is the object of the preposition auf, and in this sentence auf takes the dative case.

Tisch is masculine:

• nominative: der Tisch
• dative: dem Tisch

So:

• der Tisch = the table, as the subject
• auf dem Tisch = on the table, showing location

This is one of the most important patterns in German: the article changes depending on the noun’s role in the sentence.

Because this sentence describes location, not movement.

German uses certain prepositions, including auf, with:

• dative for a fixed location
• accusative for movement toward a destination

So:

• Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch.
  The cigarette is lying on the table.
  → location → dative

• Ich lege die Zigarette auf den Tisch.
  I put the cigarette onto the table.
  → movement/direction → accusative

This is a very common contrast in German.

liegt is the 3rd person singular form of liegen.

• liegen = to lie, to be lying, to be in a horizontal position

So liegt agrees with die Zigarette, which is singular:

• ich liege
• du liegst
• er/sie/es liegt

In this sentence, German prefers liegen instead of just using sein because German often describes the physical position of things more specifically than English does.

German often uses position verbs where English simply uses to be.

Common ones are:

• liegen = lie, be lying
• stehen = stand, be standing
• sitzen = sit, be sitting

So for an object like a cigarette resting flat on a table, liegen is natural:

• Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch.

You might sometimes hear ist auf dem Tisch, and it can be understood, but liegt sounds more idiomatic because it describes how the object is positioned.

German often chooses different verbs depending on the object’s typical position.

• liegen: for things lying flat or spread out
• stehen: for things upright
• sitzen: for people, animals, and sometimes objects in a fixed seated-like position

A cigarette on a table would normally be thought of as lying flat, so:

• Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch.

Compare:

• Die Flasche steht auf dem Tisch.
  A bottle usually stands upright.
• Die Katze sitzt auf dem Tisch.
  A cat can sit.

This is one of those natural-usage habits that becomes easier with exposure.

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can identify the subject by asking: what is doing the action or what is in the state described by the verb?

Here:

• Die Zigarette = the thing that liegt

So:

• die Zigarette = nominative singular

Even though die can also be an accusative feminine article, in this sentence it is nominative because of its role as the subject.

The basic order here is very normal:

• Die Zigarette = subject
• liegt = verb
• auf dem Tisch = location

So:

• Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch.

But German word order is flexible, as long as the conjugated verb stays in second position in a main clause.

For example, you can also say:

• Auf dem Tisch liegt die Zigarette.

That version puts more emphasis on the location.

So yes, the order can change, but the verb still has to remain in the second slot.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German, not just proper names.

So:

• die Zigarette
• der Tisch
• das Haus

This is a standard spelling rule and helps you spot nouns quickly when reading.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• Zigarette ≈ tsee-ga-RET-uh
• liegt ≈ leekt

A few details:

• Z in German is pronounced ts
• the g in Zigarette is a hard g
• the stress in Zigarette is on the last main syllable: -rett-
• ie in liegt is pronounced like a long ee
• gt at the end can sound crisp, almost like kt to English ears

If you want to sound more natural, pay special attention to Z = ts and ie = ee.

The plural is die Zigaretten.

So the sentence becomes:

• Die Zigaretten liegen auf dem Tisch.

Notice two changes:

1. Zigarette → Zigaretten
2. liegt → liegen

That is because the subject is now plural, so the verb must also be plural.

Normally, no. In standard German, you would usually need an article or another determiner with a singular countable noun.

So:

• Die Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch. = natural
• Eine Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch. = also natural
• Zigarette liegt auf dem Tisch. = not standard in normal grammar

German generally uses articles more consistently than English does with singular count nouns.

Auf is a preposition meaning things like on, onto, or upon, depending on context.

It is a two-way preposition, which means it can take:

• dative for location
• accusative for direction/movement

Examples:

• auf dem Tisch = on the table, already there
• auf den Tisch = onto the table, moving there

So auf does not always use the same case. You choose the case based on whether the sentence expresses where something is or where to something moves.