Special cases of "zai" following verbs

When used to indicate locations of actions, 在 (zài) is usually placed after the subject and before the verb. There are certain cases, however, when 在 (zài) goes after the verb. This occurs regularly with special types of verbs, including: 住 (zhù), 放 (fàng), 坐 (zuò), 站 (zhàn).

Structure

These are verbs that imply movement or location. Technically, the structure is called a location complement, but it can be understood without going into that much detail. Just remember that for verbs implying movement or location like the ones above, the rule changes and you get this structure:

Subj. + [Special Verb] + 在 + Location

Examples

• 你 住 在 上海吗？Nǐ zhù zài Shànghǎi ma? Do you live in Shanghai?
• 他 坐 在 老板 的 旁边。Tā zuò zài lǎobǎn de pángbiān. He sits next to the boss.
• 你 应该 站 在 我 后面。Nǐ yīnggāi zhàn zài wǒ hòumiàn. You should stand behind me.
• 不要 坐 在我 的 床 上。Bùyào zuò zài wǒ de chuáng shàng. Don't sit on my bed.
• 你 的 衣服 不 可以 放 在 这里。Nǐ de yīfu bù kěyǐ fàng zài zhèlǐ. You can't put your clothes here.
• 不要 站 在 路 中间。Bùyào zhàn zài lù zhōngjiān. Don't stand in the middle of the road.
• 不要 坐 在 地 上。Bùyào zuò zài dì shàng. Don't sit on the ground.
• 那 本 书 我 放 在 桌子 上 了。Nà běn shū wǒ fàng zài zhuōzi shàng le. I placed that book on the table.
• 不要 走 在 草地 上。Búyào zǒu zài cǎodì shàng. Don't walk on the grass.
• 周末 我 不 想 待 在 家 里。Zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng dāi zài jiā lǐ. I don't want to stay at home on weekends.

Remember that this is an exception to the normal rule. A common mistake is to over apply this and produce incorrect sentences. Note the incorrect and correct versions below.

• 我 工作 在 上海。Wǒ gōngzuò zài Shànghǎi.
• 我 在 上海工作。Wǒ zài Shànghǎi gōngzuò. I work in Shanghai.
• 我 学习 在 图书馆。Wǒ xuéxí zài túshūguǎn.
• 我 在 图书馆 学习。Wǒ zài túshūguǎn xuéxí. I study in the library.

See Also

• Expressing existence in a place with "zai"
• Indicating location with "zai" before verbs
• Complements with "dao," "gei" and "zai"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 104-105) →buy