{{Grammar Box}} If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to [[Basic sentence order|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 ==
* 我 在 上海 上大学。Wǒ zài Shànghǎi shàng dàxué.I went to college in Shanghai. * 你 一直 在 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 在 家 睡觉。Wǒ zhōumò xiǎng zài jiā shuìjiào.On the weekend, I want to sleep at home. * 不 要 在 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 在 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 在 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 在 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 在 KTV 唱歌。Xiànzài wǒmen zài KTV chànggē.Now we're singing songs at karaoke. * 老板 在 会议室 见 客户。Lǎobǎn zài huìyìshì jiàn kèhù.The boss is seeing the client in the meeting room. * 你 在 外面 吃 过 晚饭 了 吗？Nǐ 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. In Chinese, 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 == * [[Expressing existence in a place with "zai"]] * [[Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"]] * [[Special cases of "zai" following verbs]] * [[Complements with "dao," "gei," and "zai"]] == Sources and further reading == === Books === * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (p. 128) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy] [[Category:A2 grammar points]] {{Used for|Expressing location}} {{Basic Grammar|在|A2|Subj. + 在 + Place + Verb|我 在 上海 工作。|grammar point|ASGX0Z0N}} {{Similar|Expressing existence in a place with "zai"}} {{Similar|Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"}} {{Similar|Special cases of "zai" following verbs}} {{Similar|Complements with "dao," "gei" and "zai"}} {{Similar|Basic sentence order}} {{POS|Verbs}} {{Subprop|Verb phrases}} {{Translation|in}} {{Translation|at}}