Indicating location with "zai" before verbs

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If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to word order, as this is one case in which Chinese word order is quite different from English.

Structure

To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, 在 (zài), followed by a location, comes before the verb.

Subj. + 在 + Place + Verb + Obj.

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

Examples

  • 上海 上大学。zài Shànghǎi shàng dàxué.I went to college in Shanghai.
  • 你 一直 这 家 公司 工作 吗?Nǐ yīzhí zài zhè jiā gōngsī gōngzuò ma? Have you always been working in this company?
  • 我 周末 想 睡觉。Wǒ zhōumò xiǎng zài jiā shuìjiào.During the weekend, I want to sleep at home.
  • 不 要 床 上 吃 东西。In addition to "在" you need a "上" to indicate the location "on the bed." Bù yào zài chuáng shàng chī dōngxi.Don't eat food on the bed.
  • 你 想 哪儿 开 生日 派对?Nǐ xiǎng zài nǎr kāi shēngrì pàiduì? Where do you want to have the birthday party?
  • 他 喜欢 厕所 里 抽烟。In addition to "在" you need a "里" to indicate the location "in the bathroom." Tā xǐhuan zài cèsuǒ lǐ chōuyān.He likes to smoke in the bathroom.
  • 很 多 人 地铁 上 吃 早饭。In addition to "在" you need a "上" to indicate the location "in the subway." Hěn duō rén zài dìtiě shàng chī zǎofàn. Many people eat breakfast on the subway.
  • 现在 我们 KTV 唱歌。Xiànzài wǒmen zài KTV chànggē.Now we're singing songs at karaoke.
  • 老板 会议室 见 客户。Lǎobǎn zài huìyìshì jiàn kèhù.The boss is seeing the client in the meeting room.
  • 外面 吃 过 晚饭 了 吗?zài wàimiàn chī guo wǎnfàn le ma? Did you eat dinner outside?

Remember: 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.

Getting More Specific with Locations

Rather than just using 在 (zài) to mean "at" a location, you might want to use it to mean "in," "on," or "under" a specific location. To do this, you'll need to add an extra word after the location. Learn about expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li".

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books