"Es gibt drei Plätze am Tisch."

Translation: There are three places at the table.

[hydratedwombat]

Is "on the table" a valid translation?

[rblst]

"On the table" would be "auf dem Tisch".

[zabellz]

in some tips and notes here, it's said that "am Tisch" is always "at the table"

[narion_k]

No, "on the table" is not a valid translation for "am (an dem) Tisch".

[oren000]

What about "There are three seats by the table"?

[jpsaini.91]

Yours translation is more correct. Have a lingot.

Also, what about "There are three seats at the table"

[AndrsSzala5]

What's wrong with "by the table"?

[DJJG7]

Gute Frage! Because "am" means "at" here: They are sitting at the table, not merely near--or by--the table. (The German word for "by" or "near" is "neben.") I hope that helps!

[Ishay40hours]

In English, both "by the table" and "at the table" convey the same meaning, at least in this case. I think both should be accepted.

[DJJG7]

I have given you a lingot! That might be what the German conveys--though I do not know. Though in eastern US English, "by" and "at" a table would be different, most usually. But there are always exceptions.

[Xaethon]

Is there a problem with the translation of "The table has three places"?

[Vinnatan]

Although it means the same thing, it is a different sentence, and not a correct translation of the problem.

[eva.lyus]

the table has three seats -> der Tisch hat drei Plätze (e.g. a three sided table, or just three chairs
there are three (free) places at the table -> es gibt drei (freie) Plätze am Tisch.

[OOMGandalf]

I dont understand the use of "es gibt" in the sentence

[DJJG7]

It is a (kind of cute) German way of saying "there are." Yes, the literal translation of "Es gibt zwei Teller" would be, "It gives two plates," for example. But in English we would not say it that way; we would say, "There are two plates." In Pennsylvania, one used to be able to hear such things--in English--as, "Go a mile down the road until it gives a fork." That showed German influence.

[Bekir978479]

Can one say ''beim Tisch''? ''Bei d..'' means ''at the''. I guess one should learn and memorize each case separately.

[JayanthVarma]

From what I learned from comments from earlier lessons there is a difference.

Bei means "near/close to/near the vicinity of". When we translate beim as "at the" it actually means "near the vicinity of".

It is used to talk about reference points. Like "where are you?"-> beim Frühstück (near/at the breakfast), beim Meer(near/close to the sea).

When you want to say "at the table" as in literally right infront of the table then you use am(an+dem).

Hope this helps and correct me if I am wrong.

[x.Black.x]

Why "am"?

[Schneeballbeere]

Weil es von 0 bis zu 30cm vom Tisch entfernt ist.
Weiter weg wäre es "beim Tisch".

[paul29may]

There are three seats at the table.Is it correct?

[DeborahHur4]

I was marked Incorrect and the correction was exactly the same as what I had entered

[kenlatta]

How about
There are 2 table settings