Special cases of "zai" following verbs
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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？ Do you live in Shanghai?
- 他 坐 在 老板 的 旁边。 He sits next to the boss.
- 你 应该 站 在 我 后面。 You should stand behind me.
- 不要 坐 在我 的 床 上。 Don't sit on my bed.
- 你 的 衣服 不 可以 放 在 这里。 You can't put your clothes here.
- 不要 站 在 路 中间。 Don't stand in the middle of the road.
- 孩子 喜欢 坐 在 地 上。 Kids like sitting on the ground.
- 那 本 书 我 放 在 桌子 上 了。 I placed that book on the table.
- 不要 走 在 草地 上。 Don't walk on the grass.
- 周末 我 不想 待 在 家 里。 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。
- 我 在 上海工作。 I work in Shanghai.
- 我 学习 在 图书馆。
- 我 在 图书馆学习。 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
