Expressing actions in progress with "zai"

在 (zài) and 正在 (zhèngzài) can be used as auxiliary verbs to express that an action is ongoing or in progress. This is often the equivalent of present continuous in English, which is how we express that an activity is happening now. You can use 正在 (zhèngzài) to put a little more emphasis on an action that is in progress right now.

Structure

Subj. + 在 + Verb + Obj.

or

Subj. + 正在 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

• 她 在 看 书。Tā zài kànshū. She is reading.
• 妈妈 在 打 电话。Māma zài dǎ diànhuà. Mom is making a phone call.
• 谁 在 里面 洗澡？Sheí zài lǐmiàn xǐzǎo? Who is taking a shower in there?
• 阿姨 正在 打扫 我们 的 房间。Āyí zhèngzài dǎsǎo wǒmen de fángjiān. The cleaning lady is cleaning our room.
• 昨天 晚上 七点，我们 正在 吃 饭。Zuótiān wǎnshang qīdiǎn, wǒmen zhèngzài chīfàn. Yesterday at 7pm, we were eating dinner.
• 老板 在 开会，没 有 时间 见 你。Lǎobǎn zài kāihuì, méiyǒu shíjiān jiàn nǐ. The boss is currently in a meeting. He doesn't have time to see you.
• 我 现在 在 上班，不方便 离开。Wǒ xiànzài zài shàngbān, bù fāngbiàn líkāi. I am working now. It's not convenient for me to leave.
• 我们 正在 上课，请 你 等 一会儿。Wǒmen zhèngzài shàngkè, qǐng nǐ děng yīhuì'r. We are in class right now; please wait a moment.
• 你 正在 开车，不 可以 玩 手机。Nǐ zhèngzài kāichē, bù kěyǐ wán shǒujī. You're driving right now. You can't play with your cell phone.
• 你 给 我 打 电话 的时候，我 正在 跟 朋友 喝酒。Nǐ gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà de shíhou, wǒ zhèngzài gēn péngyou hējiǔ. When you called me, I was drinking wine with friends.

There is no need to worry too much about when to use 在 (zài) or 正在 (zhèngzài), since they basically mean the same thing. 正在 (zhèngzài) usually shows that the action is in progress. "在 (zài) + Verb" is more commonly used than "正在 (zhèngzài) + Verb," but both are okay to use. As mentioned, the only small difference is that 正在 (zhèngzài) emphasizes that the action is happening right now.

See also

• Aspect particle "zhe"
• Expressing actions in progress (full form) (more advanced usage)

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 41-2) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 60-1) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 209-10) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 218-9) →buy