We address the adsorption of water on Pt(111) using x-ray absorption, x-ray emission, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy along with calculations in the framework of density functional theory. Using the direct relationship between the electronic structure and adsorbate geometry, we show that in the first layer all the molecules bind directly to the surface and to each other through the in-layer H bonds without dissociation, creating a nearly flat overlayer. The water molecules are adsorbed through alternating metal-oxygen (M-O) and metal-hydrogen (M-HO) bonds.