Questions & Answers about В комнате горит свет.
Why does the Russian sentence use the verb горит to say the light 'is on'?
In Russian, lights, lamps, and fires are said to 'burn' (гореть) when they are on. While you would use a different verb to physically flip the switch, when a light is actively shining, it горит.
Why is the word order backwards compared to English, starting with В комнате?
Russian often puts the location first and the subject last to introduce what is happening in a place. Putting свет at the end emphasizes that a light (and not something else) is what is on in the room.
Could I just say Свет горит в комнате instead?
Yes, but it changes the focus. Свет горит в комнате sounds like you are already talking about the light, and you are stating where it is on. The order В комнате горит свет is the natural way to set a scene, answering the unspoken question 'What is going on in the room?'.
Just to be sure, why does комната end in -е here?
Because it is in the prepositional case. You use this case after the preposition в (in) to talk about where something is located. The feminine noun комната drops the -а and takes the -е ending.