Difference between revisions of "Indicating location with "zai" before verbs"
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to [[basic word order|word order]], as this is one place where Chinese word order is quite different from English. | If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to [[basic word order|word order]], as this is one place where Chinese word order is quite different from English. | ||
| − | + | == Structure == | |
To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, 在 (zài), followed by a location, comes before the verb. | To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, 在 (zài), followed by a location, comes before the verb. | ||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
Notice that the location is placed ''before'' the verb in Chinese, whereas, in English, it appears afterwards. | Notice that the location is placed ''before'' the verb in Chinese, whereas, in English, it appears afterwards. | ||
| − | + | == Examples == | |
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
Notice that in English we usually put the location at the end of a sentence. This is different in Chinese, as we put the location after the subject, but before the verb. | Notice that in English we usually put the location at the end of a sentence. This is different in Chinese, as we put the location after the subject, but before the verb. | ||
| − | ==See also== | + | == Getting More Specific with the Locations == |
| + | |||
| + | Rather than just using 在 (zài) to mean "at" a location, you might want to use it to mean "in," "on," or "under" a specific location. To do this, you'll need to add an extra word after the location. Learn about [[expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"]]. | ||
| + | == See also == | ||
| + | |||
* [[Expressing existence in a place with "zai"]] | * [[Expressing existence in a place with "zai"]] | ||
* [[Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"]] | * [[Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"]] | ||
Revision as of 07:37, 12 March 2016
-
Level
-
Similar to
-
Used for
-
Keywords
.jpeg)
If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to word order, as this is one place where Chinese word order is quite different from English.
Contents
Structure
To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, 在 (zài), followed by a location, comes before the verb.
Subj. + 在 + Place + Verb + Obj.
Notice that the location is placed before the verb in Chinese, whereas, in English, it appears afterwards.
Examples
- 我 在 上海 上大学。 I went to college in Shanghai.
- 你 一直 在 这 家 公司 工作 吗？ Have you always been working in this company?
- 我 周末 想 在 家 睡觉。 During the weekend, I want to sleep at home.
- 不 要 在 床 上 吃 东西。need a "上" with "在" to indicate the location " on the bed." Don't eat food on the bed.
- 你 想 在 哪儿 开 生日 派对？ Where do you want have the birthday party?
- 他 喜欢 在 厕所 里 抽烟。need a "里" with "在" to indicate the location " in the bathroom." He likes to smoke in the bathroom.
- 很 多 人 在 地铁 上 吃 早饭。need a "上" with "在" to indicate the location " in the subway." Many people eat breakfast on the subway.
- 现在 我们 在 KTV 唱歌。 Now we're at KTV singing songs.
- 老板 在 会议室 见 客户。 The boss is seeing the client in the meeting room.
- 你 在 外面 吃 过 晚饭 了 吗？ Did you eat dinner outside?
Notice that in English we usually put the location at the end of a sentence. This is different in Chinese, as we put the location after the subject, but before the verb.
Getting More Specific with the Locations
Rather than just using 在 (zài) to mean "at" a location, you might want to use it to mean "in," "on," or "under" a specific location. To do this, you'll need to add an extra word after the location. Learn about expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li".
See also
- Expressing existence in a place with "zai"
- Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"
- Special cases of "zai" following verbs
- Complements with "dao", "gei" and "zai"
