Expressing actions in progress with "zai"

在 (zài) and 正在 (zhèngzài) can be used as an auxiliary verb to express that an action is ongoing or in progress. This is often the equivalent of present continuous in English.

The structure is:

Subject + 在 + Verb + Object

or

Subject + 正在 + Verb + Object

Some examples:

• 她 在 看 报纸
• 我 在 喝 啤酒。
• 我们 正在 学习 中文。
• 他们 正在 跳舞。

See also

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