If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can
use 在 (zài). Just pay close attention to [word
order](Basic_sentence_order "wikilink"), 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.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 在 + Place + Verb + Obj.

</div>
Notice that the location is placed *before* the verb in Chinese, whereas
in English it appears *afterwards*.

Examples
--------

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

</div>
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"](expressing_location_with_"zai..._shang_/_xia_/_li" "wikilink").

See Also
--------

-   [Expressing existence in a place with
    "zai"](Expressing_existence_in_a_place_with_"zai" "wikilink")
-   [Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia /
    li"](Expressing_location_with_"zai..._shang_/_xia_/_li" "wikilink")
-   [Special cases of "zai" following
    verbs](Special_cases_of_"zai"_following_verbs "wikilink")
-   [Complements with "dao," "gei," and
    "zai"](Complements_with_"dao,"_"gei,"_and_"zai" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (p.
    128)
    [→buy](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)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")