Difference between revisions of "Special cases of "zai" following verbs"

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<li class="x">我 工作 <strong>在 上海</strong>。<span class="trans">I work located in Shanghai. (incorrect)</span></li>
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<li class="x">我 工作 <strong>在 上海</strong> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gōngzuò <strong>zài Shànghǎi</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">I work located in Shanghai. (incorrect)</span></li>
 
<li class="o">我 <strong>在 上海</strong> 工作。<span class="trans">I work in Shanghai. (correct)</span></li>
 
<li class="o">我 <strong>在 上海</strong> 工作。<span class="trans">I work in Shanghai. (correct)</span></li>
 
<li class="x">我 学习 <strong>在 图书馆</strong>。<span class="trans">I study located in the library. (incorrect)</span></li>
 
<li class="x">我 学习 <strong>在 图书馆</strong>。<span class="trans">I study located in the library. (incorrect)</span></li>

Revision as of 11:54, 28 October 2014

When used to indicate locations, 在 (zài) is usually placed immediately after the subject. However, there are exceptions to this rule.

In some cases, the usual rule for location preceding the verb does not apply. Instead, it goes after the verb. This often occurs with particular 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:

Subject + Special verb + 在 + Location

Examples

  • 我 住 在 上海Wǒ zhù zài Shànghǎi. I live in Shanghai.
  • 那 本 书 我 放 在 桌子 上 了 。 Nà běn shū wǒ fàng zài zhuōzi shàng le. I placed that book on the table.
  • 我 坐 在 你 右边Wǒ zuò zài nǐ yòubian. I sit on your right side.
  • 他 站 在 我 后面Tā zhàn zài wǒ hòu mian. He stands behind me.
  • 不要 扔 在 地 上Bùyào rēng zài de shàng. Don't throw on the ground.
  • 你 的 衣服 应该 放 在 这里Nǐ de yīfu yīnggāi fàng zài zhèlǐ. Your clothes should be here.
  • 不要 站 在 路 中间Bùyào zhàn zài lù zhōngjiān. Don't stand in the middle of the road.
  • 孩子 总是 喜欢 坐 在 地 上Háizi zǒngshì xǐhuan zuò zài de shàng. Kids always like sitting on the ground.
  • 他 不 会 待 在 这 家 公司Tā bù huì dāi zài zhè jiā gōngsī. He won't stay in this company.
  • 住 在 上海 非常 方便 。 Zhù zài Shànghǎi fēicháng fāngbiàn. It is very convenient to live in Shanghai.

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Wǒ gōngzuò zài Shànghǎi. I work located in Shanghai. (incorrect)
  • 在 上海 工作。I work in Shanghai. (correct)
  • 我 学习 在 图书馆I study located in the library. (incorrect)
  • 在 图书馆 学习。I study in the library. (correct)

See also

Books