Indicating location with "zai" before verbs

When you want to express the place you are doing something in, you can use 在 (zai).

Structure

To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, 在 is used.

Subject + 在 + Location + Verb + Object

Notice that the location is placed before the verb in Chinese, whereas it appears afterwards in English.

Examples

• 我 在 上海 工作。
• 我 在 酒吧 喝 酒。
• 他 在 图书馆 看 书。

See also

• Expressing existence in a place
• "Zai" following verbs
• Complements with "dao", "gei" and "zai"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 128) →buy