El salero está junto al pimentero, encima de la mesa.

Spanish uses estar for location, so El salero está... is the normal way to say where something is.

• ser is generally for identity, definition, origin, and permanent characteristics
• estar is generally for location, condition, and temporary states

So for physical position, estar is the correct verb:

• El salero está junto al pimentero.
• Madrid está en España.

A common exception is events, which usually use ser for location:

• La reunión es en mi casa.

Because a + el contracts to al in Spanish.

So:

• junto a el pimentero → junto al pimentero

This contraction is required in standard Spanish.

Compare:

• Voy al mercado. = I go to the market.
• Está junto al pimentero. = It is next to the pepper shaker.

The only common exception is when el is part of a proper name:

• Voy a El Escorial.

Junto can mean together in some contexts, but in the expression junto a, it means next to, beside, or near.

So here, junto al pimentero means next to the pepper shaker.

Very similar expressions are:

• junto a
• al lado de

For this sentence, junto al pimentero and al lado del pimentero are both natural.

Because encima is normally used in the fixed expression encima de, meaning on top of or above.

So you say:

• encima de la mesa
• encima de la cama
• encima del libro

Not:

• encima la mesa

This is just how the structure works in Spanish. The de is part of the expression.

Because Spanish nouns have grammatical gender.

In this sentence:

• salero is masculine → el salero
• pimentero is masculine → el pimentero
• mesa is feminine → la mesa

The article has to match the noun:

• masculine singular → el
• feminine singular → la

The endings help sometimes, but not always:

• nouns ending in -o are often masculine
• nouns ending in -a are often feminine

Here that pattern works:

• salero
• pimentero
• mesa

The ending -ero often forms nouns connected with a thing, a container, a profession, or a place associated with something.

In this sentence:

• sal = salt → salero = salt shaker / salt cellar
• pimienta or pimiento/pimenta-related root → pimentero = pepper shaker / pepper pot

So -ero here helps create the name of an object associated with that substance.

You will see -ero/-era in many other words too:

• pan → panera
• zapato → zapatero
• basura → basurero

The exact meaning depends on the word, but it is a very common noun-forming ending.

In Spanish, articles are used more often than in English. With ordinary countable nouns like these, Spanish normally wants the article unless there is a specific reason to leave it out.

So:

• El salero está junto al pimentero sounds natural.
• Salero está junto a pimentero sounds wrong in normal Spanish.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English might use the, but also in some places where English might omit it.

The comma separates two location phrases:

• junto al pimentero
• encima de la mesa

Both describe where the salt shaker is.

The sentence is basically saying:

• the salt shaker is next to the pepper shaker
• and it is on the table

The comma is helpful for clarity, but in everyday writing you may also see similar sentences without a comma, depending on style and rhythm.

Grammatically, it directly describes el salero, because that is the subject of the sentence.

So the safest reading is:

• The salt shaker is next to the pepper shaker, and the salt shaker is on the table.

But in real-life interpretation, many people will naturally understand that both objects are on the table, because if one object is next to the other and one is on the table, the other probably is too.

So:

• grammatically: it modifies el salero
• logically: the listener may infer that both are on the table

Yes. Spanish word order is more flexible than English, especially with prepositional phrases.

These are all possible, though they may sound slightly different in emphasis:

• El salero está junto al pimentero, encima de la mesa.
• Encima de la mesa, el salero está junto al pimentero.
• El salero está encima de la mesa, junto al pimentero.

The basic meaning stays very similar, but the first element often gets a little more emphasis.

Because the stress falls on the last syllable: es-TÁ.

Without the accent, esta would follow normal spelling rules and be stressed differently: ES-ta.

So the accent mark shows the correct pronunciation.

It also helps distinguish it in writing from esta, which can be:

• a demonstrative adjective: esta mesa = this table
• a pronoun in some contexts

So in está, the accent is necessary.

Not exactly.

• junto a = right next to / beside
• cerca de = near / close to

So junto a usually suggests a smaller distance than cerca de.

Examples:

• El salero está junto al pimentero. = the salt shaker is right next to the pepper shaker
• El salero está cerca del pimentero. = the salt shaker is near the pepper shaker

Both are possible, but junto a is more precise here.

Yes, often you could.

• encima de la mesa = on top of / above the table
• sobre la mesa = on the table / over the table

In many everyday situations, both can work:

• El salero está sobre la mesa.
• El salero está encima de la mesa.

But there can be a slight difference:

• sobre can be a bit more neutral or formal
• encima de often strongly suggests physical position on top of something

In this sentence, encima de la mesa sounds completely natural.