Ліфт знаходиться ліворуч від сходів.

Here знаходиться means is located / is situated / is found.

The verb is знаходитися, which is often used to say where something is:

• Ліфт знаходиться... = The elevator is located...
• Школа знаходиться поруч. = The school is nearby.

In everyday speech, Ukrainians also often use simpler wording, but знаходиться is very common in neutral, clear descriptions of location.

The -ся is the reflexive ending. In this verb, it is just part of the standard dictionary form знаходитися.

For learners, it is best to treat знаходитися as a whole verb meaning to be located. In this sentence, it does not mean the elevator is literally finding itself. It is just the normal way this verb works in Ukrainian.

Because ліворуч is an adverb meaning on the left / to the left, while лівий is an adjective meaning left.

Here we need an adverbial expression of location:

• ліворуч від сходів = to the left of the stairs

Compare:

• лівий бік = the left side
• ліворуч = on the left

So ліворуч is the correct form in this sentence.

Від usually means from, and it takes the genitive case.

In this sentence, it is part of the fixed spatial pattern:

• ліворуч від ... = to the left of ...
• праворуч від ... = to the right of ...

So literally, the structure is something like leftward from the stairs, but in natural English we say to the left of the stairs.

Because від requires the genitive case.

The basic noun is сходи = stairs.
After від, it changes to the genitive plural:

• сходи → сходів

So:

• від сходів = of/from the stairs

This is one of the most important patterns to learn: many Ukrainian prepositions require a specific case, and від takes the genitive.

The word сходи is normally plural, just like English stairs.

So Ukrainian usually treats it as a plural noun:

• сходи = stairs
• біля сходів = near the stairs
• від сходів = from/of the stairs

If English says the staircase, Ukrainian might use a different singular noun in some contexts, but сходи is the normal everyday word for stairs.

Yes. Зліва від сходів is also correct and very natural.

Both mean to the left of the stairs:

• ліворуч від сходів
• зліва від сходів

A similar pair exists for right:

• праворуч від
• справа від

These pairs are close in meaning, and in many situations either one works.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is more flexible than English.

Your sentence:

• Ліфт знаходиться ліворуч від сходів.

A very natural alternative is:

• Ліворуч від сходів знаходиться ліфт.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is mostly emphasis:

• starting with Ліфт focuses on the elevator
• starting with Ліворуч від сходів focuses on the location

Sometimes, yes, depending on style and context.

For example, in signs, labels, maps, or short directions, Ukrainians may use shorter phrases such as:

• Ліфт ліворуч від сходів.

But in a full neutral sentence, знаходиться sounds complete and natural:

• Ліфт знаходиться ліворуч від сходів.

So the verb is not always absolutely necessary, but it is very normal here.

Yes. A common alternative is розташований / розташована / розташоване depending on gender.

For example:

• Ліфт розташований ліворуч від сходів.

This also means The elevator is located to the left of the stairs.

Compared with знаходиться:

• знаходиться is very common and neutral
• розташований can sound a bit more formal or descriptive

Because Ukrainian has no articles like English a / an / the.

So:

• ліфт can mean an elevator or the elevator
• сходів can mean stairs or the stairs

The exact meaning depends on context. In your sentence, the meaning is understood from the situation, so no article is needed.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Ліфт знаходиться ліворуч від сходів
LIFT zna-HO-dyt-sya lee-VO-rooch vid SKHO-div

A few helpful notes:

• ліфт = one syllable, like English lift but with a clear ee-type vowel in лі-
• знаходиться has stress on хо: знахо́диться
• ліворуч has stress on во: ліво́руч
• сходів has stress on the first syllable: схо́дів

It is talking about location, not motion.

The sentence means the elevator is in a certain place:

• The elevator is located to the left of the stairs.

If you wanted to talk about movement, Ukrainian would use different verbs and structures, for example verbs meaning go, walk, move, and so on.

So here, think of it as a static description of where something is.