Indicating location with "zai" before verbs
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
When you want to express the place in which you do something, 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。I am working in Shanghai.
- 我 在 酒吧 喝 酒。I am drinking at the bar.
- 他 在 图书馆 看 书。He is reading in the library.
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.