La noria está junto a la plaza.

Because Spanish normally uses estar for location.

• está = is (in a place / located)
• es = is (identity, description, classification)

So:

• La noria está junto a la plaza = the Ferris wheel is located next to the square
• La noria es grande = the Ferris wheel is big

A common rule learners hear is: use estar for where something is.

Junto a means next to, beside, or right by.

In this sentence, it tells you where the Ferris wheel is in relation to the square.

Very similar expressions are:

• junto a = next to / beside
• al lado de = next to / beside
• cerca de = near

So junto a la plaza suggests the Ferris wheel is very close, basically beside the square.

Because junto a is a fixed expression.

You can think of it as a two-word preposition:

• junto a = next to / beside

So the structure is:

• junto a + noun

Examples:

• junto a la plaza = next to the square
• junto al río = next to the river
• junto a mi casa = next to my house

That a is not the personal a and it is not optional here.

Because both noria and plaza are feminine singular nouns.

• la noria
• la plaza

Spanish articles have to match the noun’s gender and number.

So:

• la = feminine singular
• el = masculine singular
• las = feminine plural
• los = masculine plural

In this sentence:

• La noria = the Ferris wheel
• la plaza = the square

In modern everyday Spanish, especially in this kind of sentence, noria commonly means Ferris wheel.

Historically, noria can also refer to a water wheel, so context matters.

For a learner, the safest idea here is:

• la noria = the Ferris wheel

If the sentence is about a fair, a park, or a public square, that is almost certainly the meaning.

Usually plaza in Spanish means a public square or town square.

So in many contexts, the most natural English meaning is square, not the English borrowed word plaza.

Examples:

• la plaza del pueblo = the town square
• junto a la plaza = next to the square

English plaza often suggests a shopping area or open paved area, but Spanish plaza is very commonly the central public square in a town or city.

Yes. That is a very natural alternative.

These are both good:

• La noria está junto a la plaza
• La noria está al lado de la plaza

Both mean The Ferris wheel is next to the square.

A slight difference is that junto a can sound a little more compact or slightly more formal/written, while al lado de is extremely common in everyday speech.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible.

The neutral order is:

• La noria está junto a la plaza.

But you could also say:

• Junto a la plaza está la noria.

This version puts more focus on the location first, a bit like:

• Next to the square is the Ferris wheel.

Both are correct. The first one is usually the simplest and most neutral for learners.

In standard Spain Spanish, plaza is pronounced roughly like:

• PLA-tha

That is because the z is pronounced like the th in think in most of Spain.

So:

• plaza → PLA-tha
• noria → NO-ria (roughly NOR-ee-a, with a clear ri-a sequence)

If you hear Latin American Spanish, plaza is usually pronounced PLA-sa instead.

Spanish often uses the definite article more regularly than English.

So when referring to a specific thing, Spanish normally says:

• La noria
• La plaza

Even where English might sometimes omit the in certain styles, Spanish usually keeps the article if the noun is specific and identifiable in context.

Here, the sentence is talking about a particular Ferris wheel and a particular square, so la is completely normal.

Not necessarily temporary. Estar is used for location whether the thing is there temporarily or permanently.

So estar does not mean the location is temporary. It simply means located.

Examples:

• Madrid está en España = Madrid is in Spain
• La noria está junto a la plaza = The Ferris wheel is next to the square

Even permanent locations usually use estar in Spanish.

Usually, when it means next to, you use junto a.

Examples:

• junto a la plaza
• junto al hotel
• junto a mí

On its own, junto can appear in other structures, but for a learner it is best to remember:

• junto a = next to / beside

That is the pattern you will use most often.