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  <h1>Indicating location with "<span class="pinyinst">zai</span>" "<span class="hanzist">在</span>" before verbs</h1>

  <p>If you need to include the place where an action takes place, you can use <span class="hanzi">在</span> (<span class="pinyin">zài</span>). Just pay close attention to word order, as this is one case in which Chinese word order is quite different from English.</p>

  <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>

  <p>To indicate the location that a verb takes place in, <span class="hanzi">在</span> (<span class="pinyin">zài</span>), followed by a location, comes before the verb.</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p>Subj. + <span class="hanzist">在</span> + Place + Verb + Obj.</p>
  </div>

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

  <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 在 上海 上大学。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài Shànghǎi shàng dàxué.</span> <br/> I went to college in Shanghai.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 一直 在 这 家 公司 工作 吗？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ yīzhí zài zhè jiā gōngsī gōngzuò ma?</span> <br/> Have you always been working in this company?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 周末 想 在 家 睡觉。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin"> Wǒ zhōumò xiǎng zài jiā shuìjiào.</span> <br/> On the weekend, I want to sleep at home.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">不 要 在 床 上 吃 东西。</span> <br/> <span class="vert">In addition to "在" you need a "上" to indicate the location "on the bed."</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Bù yào zài chuáng shàng chī dōngxi.</span> <br/> Don't eat food on the bed.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 想 在 哪儿 开 生日 派对？</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ xiǎng zài nǎr kāi shēngrì pàiduì?</span> <br/> Where do you want to have the birthday party?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 喜欢 在 厕所 里 抽烟。</span> <br/> <span class="vert">In addition to "在" you need a "里" to indicate the location "in the bathroom."</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Tā xǐhuan zài cèsuǒ lǐ chōuyān.</span> <br/> He likes to smoke in the bathroom.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">很 多 人 在 地铁 上 吃 早饭。</span> <br/> <span class="vert">In addition to "在" you need a "上" to indicate the location "in the subway."</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin">Hěn duō rén zài dìtiě shàng chī zǎofàn.</span> <br/> Many people eat breakfast on the subway.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">现在 我们 在 KTV 唱歌。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin"> Xiànzài wǒmen zài KTV chànggē.</span> <br/> Now we're singing songs at karaoke.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">老板 在 会议室 见 客户。</span> <br/> <span class="pinyin"> Lǎobǎn zài huìyìshì jiàn kèhù.</span> <br/> The boss is seeing the client in the meeting room.</li>

      <li><span class="pinyin"><span class="hanzi">你 在 外面 吃 过 晚饭 了 吗？</span> <br/> Nǐ zài wàimiàn chī guo wǎnfàn le ma?</span> <br/> Did you eat dinner outside?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <p>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.</p>

  <h2 id="getting-more-specific-with-locations">Getting More Specific with Locations</h2>

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

  <h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="Expressing_existence_in_a_place_with_&quot;zai&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing existence in a place with "zai"</a></li>

    <li><a href="Expressing_location_with_&quot;zai..._shang_/_xia_/_li&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing location with "zai... shang / xia / li"</a></li>

    <li><a href="Special_cases_of_&quot;zai&quot;_following_verbs" title="wikilink">Special cases of "zai" following verbs</a></li>

    <li><a href="Complements_with_&quot;dao,&quot;_&quot;gei,&quot;_and_&quot;zai&quot;" title="wikilink">Complements with "dao," "gei," and "zai"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 128)</li>
  </ul>
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