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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
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<h1>Expressing actions in progress (full form)
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<p>You may have learned that 在 (zài) and 正在 (zhèngzài) can be used before verbs to express that an action is ongoing or in progress. They are used to create the Mandarin equivalent of present continuous in English. But that pattern is actually a part of a longer, fuller pattern. It's rarely used in its full form, but bits and pieces of it are frequently used in everyday speech, so it's important to know the full form, even if you don't use it regularly yourself.
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<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Examples </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.1 Books </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.2 Websites</span></li>
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<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + 正在 / 正 / 在 + Verb + 呢</div>

<p>If it's a Separable verb, you need to put the 着 between the verb and the object, or you can just leave 着 out.</p>

<div class="deux">Subj. (+ 正) + Verb + 着 + Obj. + 呢</div>
<p></p>
<div class="deux">Subj. + Verb + Obj. + 呢</div>

<p>It's important to remember that virtually every part of the above pattern is optional, so you're going to see all sorts of variations of it (and rarely the full form). The most common variation is just the "在 + V" pattern that you probably already learned long ago. Another common variation is "正 + V" pattern.
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<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 正在 吃饭 。
Wǒ zhèngzài chīfàn. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 正 吃 着 饭 呢 。
Wǒ zhèng chī zhe fàn ne. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 吃 饭 呢。
Wǒ chīfàn ne.
I'm eating now. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">爷爷 正在 看 报纸 ，别 打扰 他 。
Yéye zhèngzài kàn bàozhǐ, bié dǎrǎo tā. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">爷爷 在 看 报纸 呢 ，别 打扰 他 。
Yéye zài kàn bàozhǐ ne, bié dǎrǎo tā. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">爷爷 看 报纸 呢 ，别 打扰 他 。
Yéye kàn bàozhǐ ne, bié dǎrǎo tā.
Grandpa is reading newspapers now. Don't disturb him. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 在 上厕所 。
Tā zài shàng cèsuǒ. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 正 上 厕所呢 。
Tā zhèng shàng cèsuǒ ne. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 上 厕所 呢 。
Tā shàng cèsuǒ ne.
He's using the bathroom now. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 在 上 汉语 课 。
Wǒmen zài shàng Hànyǔ kè. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 正 上 汉语 课 呢 。
Wǒmen zhèng shàng Hànyǔ kè ne. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 上 着 汉语 课 呢 。
Wǒmen shàng zhe Hànyǔ kè ne.
We're having a Chinese lesson now. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">老板 在 开会，不 方便 接 电话 。
Lǎobǎn zài kāihuì, bù fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">老板 正 开 着 会 ，不 方便 接 电话 。
Lǎobǎn zhèng kāi zhe huì, bù fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">老板 开 着 会 呢 ，不 方便 接 电话 。
Lǎobǎn kāi zhe huì ne, bù fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà.
The boss is in the middle of a meeting. It's not convenient for him to talk on the phone.</span><br/></li>
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<h3>See also</h3>

<div class="See-also">Aspect particle "zhe"
Expressing actions in progress</div>
<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 54-7) [ →buy] </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 321) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 217-26) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 216-8) →buy
I</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">ntegrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 106-7) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 157) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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<h4>Websites</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The 着 (zhe) Chronicles: Actions in Progress (free podcast content)</span><br/></li>
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