El escurridor estaba junto al fregadero, y al lado había otro rallador para el limón.

Estaba is the imperfect tense of estar. Here it describes where something was located as part of the background of the scene.

Spanish often uses the imperfect for:

• background description
• location in a scene
• ongoing states in the past

So El escurridor estaba junto al fregadero means the drainer was sitting / was located next to the sink.

If you said estuvo, that would sound more like a completed event or a limited period of time, not just a description of the setting.

Because haber is the normal verb for there is / there was / there were.

• había otro rallador = there was another grater
• estaba otro rallador would usually sound wrong here

Use estar when something specific is already identified and you are saying where it was:

• El rallador estaba al lado del fregadero.

Use haber when introducing the existence of something:

• Al lado había otro rallador.

That is exactly what happens in this sentence: first the speaker locates one object, then says that there was another one nearby.

Both express the idea of next to / beside.

• junto a = next to, right by
• al lado = at the side, nearby, next to

In everyday use, they are often very close in meaning.

Examples:

• junto al fregadero = next to the sink
• al lado había... = beside it / next to that there was...

Sometimes junto a can sound a little more directly attached or immediately next to something, while al lado can be slightly broader, but in many real sentences the difference is minimal.

It is a bit repetitive in meaning, but it is still natural enough.

The sentence first says where the drainer was:

• junto al fregadero

Then it adds that in that nearby area there was something else:

• y al lado había otro rallador...

So the second phrase works a bit like:

• and beside it
• and nearby
• and next to that

Spanish sometimes repeats location words like this to keep the scene clear.

Because a + el contracts to al in Spanish.

So:

• junto a el fregadero → junto al fregadero

This contraction is required in normal Spanish.

The two main contractions you should remember are:

• a + el = al
• de + el = del

Example:

• al lado del fregadero

In Spanish, otro normally does not take un before it.

So you say:

• otro rallador = another grater
• not un otro rallador

This is a common difference from English, where another historically comes from an other, but modern Spanish does not work that way.

Also, otro usually goes before the noun:

• otro rallador
• otra mesa
• otros vasos

Otro means another or a different one.

In this sentence, it suggests that there is already one relevant kitchen tool in the scene, and now the speaker mentions an additional/different grater.

So otro rallador implies:

• not the same one
• one more, or a different one of the same type

They are two different kitchen objects:

• escurridor = drainer / dish rack / draining rack
  Something used to let water drain off dishes or food.

• rallador = grater
  A tool used to grate food, such as cheese or lemon peel.

This sentence is easy to misread because both words end in -dor, but they come from different verbs:

• escurrir = to drain
• rallar = to grate

Para el limón means for the lemon or more naturally for lemon in context, meaning the grater is intended to be used on the lemon.

Spanish often uses para to show purpose or intended use:

• un vaso para agua
• una caja para herramientas
• un rallador para el limón

If you said rallador de limón, that could also be possible in some contexts, but it sounds more like a lemon grater / a grater specifically for lemon zest as a type of object.

So:

• rallador para el limón = a grater to use for the lemon
• rallador de limón = a lemon grater, potentially the name/type of utensil

Because el limón refers to the lemon as a specific lemon in the situation.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English might be less explicit depending on context. Here, the sentence seems to be talking about a particular lemon already understood in the scene.

• para el limón = for the lemon

If you said para limón, it would sound less natural here and more like a label or a very compressed style.

Usually no, at least not if you mean the kitchen sink.

In Spain:

• fregadero = kitchen sink
• lavabo = washbasin / bathroom sink, and also sometimes the bathroom itself

So in a kitchen sentence like this, fregadero is the right choice.

In this sentence, al lado most naturally means next to that / nearby / beside it, referring to the area near the sink or near the drainer just mentioned.

Spanish sometimes leaves the reference understood instead of repeating it:

• El escurridor estaba junto al fregadero, y al lado...
• literally: The drainer was next to the sink, and at the side...

The listener understands the second location from the first part of the sentence.

Because the sentence is describing a scene in the past, not narrating single completed actions.

The imperfect is very common for:

• setting the scene
• describing where things were
• saying what was present

So:

• estaba = was
• había = there was

Together they create a descriptive background, like looking at a still image from the past.

It is not always necessary before y, but it can be used when the sentence is a bit longer or when the writer wants a small pause between two related clauses.

Here the comma helps separate:

• El escurridor estaba junto al fregadero
• y al lado había otro rallador para el limón

So it is acceptable, even if in some simpler sentences Spanish would often omit the comma before y.

Yes, that is possible.

Spanish word order is flexible, especially with location phrases. These are all possible with slightly different emphasis:

• al lado había otro rallador
• había otro rallador al lado
• había al lado otro rallador

The original version places al lado early, which gives the location a bit more prominence:

• and next to it, there was another grater

It is a valid and understandable word in Spain, but depending on the exact object and region, you may also hear:

• escurreplatos for a dish drainer / dish rack

Escurridor can be broader and may refer to something used for draining in general. In context, though, it works well.

So for a kitchen sentence in Spain:

• escurridor = fine
• escurreplatos = also very common if you specifically mean a rack for dishes