משטח העץ נמצא במעלית המשא.

That is true: in Hebrew, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted.

So a very simple location sentence can be just:

הספר על השולחן
= The book is on the table

But נמצא adds the idea of is located / is situated / is found. It makes the sentence sound a little more explicit and slightly more formal.

So in this sentence, נמצא is not just a filler word for is. It specifically helps express location.

Because משטח העץ is a construct phrase (called סמיכות in Hebrew).

In a construct phrase, the first noun usually does not take ה־. Instead, definiteness is shown on the second noun.

So:

• משטח עץ = a wood platform / a wooden platform
• משטח העץ = the wood platform / the platform of the wood

The important grammar point is:

• in סמיכות, the first word normally cannot take ה־
• if the second word is definite, the whole phrase becomes definite

The same thing happens in מעלית המשא.

Grammatically, it is built like X of Y: platform/surface of the wood.

But in real usage, Hebrew often uses this kind of noun chain where English might prefer an adjective such as wooden or another noun modifier such as wood.

So depending on context, משטח העץ may be understood more naturally in English as something like:

• the wooden platform
• the wood surface
• the wood pallet

The exact English wording depends on context, but the Hebrew structure itself is a normal noun-to-noun connection.

Because the preposition ב־ meaning in attaches directly to the noun.

So:

• ב־ = in
• מעלית = elevator

Together:

• במעלית = in an elevator / in the elevator

Hebrew does this with several very common prepositions:

• ב־ = in
• ל־ = to/for
• כ־ = as/like
• מ־ = from

So it is completely normal for them to appear attached to the following word.

In unpointed Hebrew spelling, the form can look the same.

But in this sentence, the phrase is במעלית המשא, and מעלית המשא is a definite construct phrase, so the meaning is definite: in the freight elevator.

Why is it definite? Because in a construct chain, if the second noun is definite, the whole chain is definite.

So:

• מעלית משא = a freight elevator
• מעלית המשא = the freight elevator

Therefore במעלית המשא means in the freight elevator.

Because the verb agrees with the subject, not with the noun inside the prepositional phrase.

The subject here is משטח העץ.
The head noun is משטח, and משטח is masculine singular.

So the verb is also masculine singular:

• נמצא = masculine singular

The phrase במעלית המשא is only telling you where it is. It is not the subject.

If the subject were feminine, you would get:

• הקופסה נמצאת... = the box is located...

If the subject were plural:

• הארגזים נמצאים... = the crates are located...

It is another construct phrase.

Literally, it is something like elevator of freight/cargo, but in natural English we usually say freight elevator.

So yes, structurally it resembles possession, but in practice Hebrew uses construct phrases for many relationships, including:

• possession
• material
• type/category
• purpose/function

Here it is best understood as a type of elevator: a freight elevator.

This is very common in Hebrew.

משא means load, cargo, freight.

So מעלית המשא is the elevator used for carrying cargo rather than people.

It is a fairly formal or standard word, and you will often see it in combinations like this.

Sometimes yes, but in this sentence the construct form is more natural.

For example, Hebrew can use של for possession:

• הספר של דני = Danny’s book

But with established compound-like expressions, especially things like categories or types, the construct form is usually preferred:

• מעלית משא = freight elevator
  more natural than מעלית של משא

Similarly, משטח העץ is more compact and natural than a longer של phrase.

So a learner should get used to the fact that Hebrew often prefers construct chains where English uses either:

• of
• a possessive
• or a noun used like an adjective

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Mishtaḥ ha-etz nimtsa bema'alit ha-masa.

A few notes:

• משטח = mishtaḥ
  The final ח is a throat sound, not an English k or h exactly.
• העץ = ha-etz
• נמצא = nimtsa
• מעלית = ma'a-lit
• המשא = ha-masa

In careful speech, because the phrase is definite, במעלית may be pronounced more like ba-ma'alit, but learners will often first meet it in unpointed writing, where the spelling does not show that clearly.

Sometimes yes, especially in casual Hebrew, but it would depend on style and context.

Hebrew often allows very short present-tense nominal sentences, so something like:

משטח העץ במעלית המשא

can be understood as The wooden platform is in the freight elevator.

However, adding נמצא makes the sentence clearer as a location statement and sounds more complete, especially in written, formal, or descriptive language.