Die Luftpumpe liegt in der Werkstatt.

Because Luftpumpe is a feminine noun in German. Its dictionary form is die Luftpumpe.

In German, every noun has a grammatical gender:

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

So in the nominative singular, you say die Luftpumpe.

It is a compound noun:

• Luft = air
• Pumpe = pump

So Luftpumpe literally means air pump. In normal English, that is usually pump or air pump, depending on context.

Liegt comes from liegen, which usually means to lie or to be lying.

German often uses position verbs where English might simply use is:

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

So Die Luftpumpe liegt in der Werkstatt means the air pump is located there, and it suggests it is lying there rather than standing upright.

Because this sentence describes location, not movement.

German prepositions like in can take:

• dative for location: where?
• accusative for movement toward somewhere: where to?

Here the pump is already in the workshop, so German uses the dative:

• in der Werkstatt = in the workshop

If there were movement, you would use the accusative:

• Die Luftpumpe geht in die Werkstatt would mean something like the pump goes into the workshop

So:

• where? → in der Werkstatt
• where to? → in die Werkstatt

Because Werkstatt is a feminine noun, and after in with a location meaning, it takes the dative case.

The feminine article changes like this:

• nominative: die Werkstatt
• dative: der Werkstatt

So:

• die Werkstatt = the workshop
• in der Werkstatt = in the workshop

This is a very common pattern in German.

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

The subject is the thing doing or being something. Here, the air pump is the thing being described:

• Die Luftpumpe = subject
• liegt = verb
• in der Werkstatt = location

So die Luftpumpe is nominative singular.

The sentence as given is the most neutral order:

• Die Luftpumpe liegt in der Werkstatt.

But German word order is somewhat flexible. For example, you could also say:

• In der Werkstatt liegt die Luftpumpe.

That version emphasizes the location a bit more. The important rule is that the finite verb stays in second position in a main clause.

So both are correct:

• Die Luftpumpe liegt in der Werkstatt.
• In der Werkstatt liegt die Luftpumpe.

Because all nouns are capitalized in German.

So:

• die Luftpumpe
• die Werkstatt

This is one of the most noticeable spelling rules in German.

Yes, that is also possible.

• Die Luftpumpe ist in der Werkstatt = The air pump is in the workshop
• Die Luftpumpe liegt in der Werkstatt = The air pump is lying in the workshop

Using ist is more neutral and just states location. Using liegt gives a more specific picture of how the object is positioned.

So liegt is often more natural when talking about an object resting somewhere.

Liegt is pronounced approximately like leegt, with a long ee sound.

A rough guide:

• liegt ≈ leekt, but with a g sound that is often softened at the end in actual speech

The verb liegen is pronounced roughly LEE-gən.

The structure is:

• Die Luftpumpe = subject
• liegt = verb
• in der Werkstatt = prepositional phrase showing location

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + place

This is a very common and useful German sentence pattern.