🤓 What You’ll Learn
✔️ Use 在 (zài) to show where actions happen
✔️ Talk about daily activities at specific places
✔️ Ask “Where do you…?” using 吗 or 哪儿
✔️ Say what you don’t do in certain places with 不在
✔️ Understand how to use 想 patterns with 在
✨ Let’s Begin
Today’s focus is the word 在 (zài) — but not as a verb!
We already learned that 在 can mean “to be at” when describing location.
But in this lesson, we’ll learn how 在 works as a preposition, meaning “at / in / on,” when combined with a verb.
📍在 (zài) = at / in / on (used with places)
It works like this:
👉 Subject + 在 + Place + Verb
You’ll be able to say where you do daily things:
🛒 Buy groceries at the supermarket
📚 Study at the library
🏥 See a doctor at the hospital
Let’s break it down together. 😊
📌Pattern
Subject + 在 + Place + Verb
This is the simplest way to say where someone or something is doing something in Chinese.
Just add 在 (zài) between the subject and the place.
It’s like saying:
“A is doing B at C.”
You don’t need any extra words — it’s short, clear, and used all the time in daily life. 😊
💬How It’s Used
👩🏻我在电影院看电影。
wǒ zài diànyǐngyuàn kàn diànyǐng
→ I watch movies at the cinema.
👨🏻我在火车站买票。
wǒ zài huǒchēzhàn mǎi piào
→ I buy tickets at the train station.
👩🏻他在办公室上班。
tā zài bàngōngshì shàngbān
→ He works at the office.
👨🏻他们在餐厅吃饭。
tāmen zài cāntīng chīfàn
→ They are eating at the restaurant.
👩🏻他在洗手间抽烟。
tā zài xǐshǒujiān chōuyān
→ He smokes in the bathroom.
👧🏻奶奶在医院看病。
nǎinai zài yīyuàn kànbìng
→ Grandma is seeing the doctor at the hospital.
🧔🏻♂️我们在咖啡厅休息
wǒmen zài kāfēitīng xiūxi
→ We’re resting in the café.
👨🏻他在健身房运动
tā zài jiànshēnfáng yùndòng
→ He is working out at the gym.
📝Vocabulary List
电影院 (diànyǐngyuàn) cinema
看电影 (kàn diànyǐng) watch a movie
火车站 (huǒchēzhàn) train station
买票 (mǎi piào) buy tickets
办公室 (bàngōngshì) office
上班 (shàngbān) go to work
餐厅 (cāntīng) restaurant
吃饭 (chīfàn) eat
洗手间 (xǐshǒujiān) bathroom
抽烟 (chōuyān) smoke
奶奶 (nǎinai) grandma
医院 (yīyuàn) hospital
看病 (kànbìng) see a doctor
咖啡厅 (kāfēitīng) café
休息 (xiūxi) rest
健身房 (jiànshēnfáng) gym
运动 (yùndòng) exercise
📌Applied Pattern 1 (Question Form)
Now let’s practice asking and answering where things happen.
There are 2 simple ways to ask questions — no need to change word order like in English!
✅ Method 1: Add 吗 (ma) at the end
(Subject) + 在 + Place + Verb吗？
For yes/no questions.
📄 Structure: 👉 Statement + 吗?
- 你在公司上班。
→ You work at a company. - 你在公司上班吗？
→ Do you work at a company?
✅ Method 2: Use 哪儿 (nǎr) as a question word
(Subject) + 在 + 哪儿 + Verb?
For “where” questions.
📄 Structure: 👉 Subject + 在 + 哪儿 + Verb?
- 她在哪儿上班？
→ Where does she work? - 她在银行上班。
→ She works at the bank.
💬How It’s Used
🧔🏻♂️她在哪儿上班？
tā zài nǎr shàngbān
→ Where does she work?
👩🏻她在银行上班。
tā zài yínháng shàngbān
→ She works at the bank.
👨🏻明天我们在哪儿见面？
míngtiān wǒmen zài nǎr jiànmiàn
→ Where will we meet tomorrow?
👩🏻我们在地铁站见面吧。
wǒmen zài dìtiězhàn jiànmiàn ba
→ Let’s meet at the subway station.
👨🏻我们在机场见面吧。
wǒmen zài jīchǎng jiànmiàn ba
→ Let’s meet at the airport.
👨🏻在哪儿付钱？
zài nǎr fù qián
→ Where do I pay?
👩🏻在那边付钱。
zài nàbiān fù qián
→ Pay over there.
📝Vocabulary List
哪儿 (nǎr) where
上班 (shàngbān) go to work / work
银行 (yínháng) bank
明天 (míngtiān) tomorrow
见面 (jiànmiàn) to meet
地铁站 (dìtiězhàn) subway station
机场 (jīchǎng) airport
付钱 (fù qián) to pay
那边 (nàbiān) over there
❌ Important Rule:
⛔ Never use both 吗 and 哪儿 in the same sentence.
It’s incorrect to say:
🚫 你在哪儿学习吗？ ← Don’t do this!
✅ Why It’s Easy:
Unlike English, you don’t change word order.
Just plug in the right word — 吗 or 哪儿 — and your sentence becomes a question. That’s it! 😊
📌Applied Pattern 2 (Negative Form)
(Subject) + 不在 + Place + Verb
When you want to say something does not happen at a certain place, just add 不 before 在.
💬How It’s Used
👨🏻他不在公司上班。
tā bú zài gōngsī shàngbān
→ He doesn’t work at the company.
👧🏻我们今天不在学校上课。
wǒmen jīntiān bú zài xuéxiào shàngkè
→ We’re not having class at school today.
👨🏻她不在学校学汉语。
tā bú zài xuéxiào xué hànyǔ
→ She doesn’t study Chinese at school.
📝Vocabulary List
公司 (gōngsī) company
今天 (jīntiān) today
学校 (xuéxiào) school
上课 (shàngkè) attend class
学汉语 (xué hànyǔ) study Chinese
🚀 Level Up
Expressing Desire with 想
Let’s take a look at how to use 想 (xiǎng) to express what you want to do.
Pay attention to the word order as we practice together. 😊
👉 Subject + 想 + 在 + Place + Verb
This structure helps you say things like
“I want to do something at a place” in natural Chinese!
🔎 Haven’t learned 想 yet?
No worries! 👉 Check out the 想 lesson here before continuing.
💬How It’s Used
👨🏻你想在公园散步吗？
nǐ xiǎng zài gōngyuán sànbù ma
→ Do you want to take a walk in the park?
👧🏻我不想在公园散步。
wǒ bù xiǎng zài gōngyuán sànbù
→ I don’t want to take a walk in the park.
👧🏻我想在家睡觉。
wǒ xiǎng zài jiā shuìjiào
→ I want to sleep at home.
🌟 Don’t worry about memorizing grammar rules.
It’s much better to learn naturally through real sentences.
Just focus on remembering one useful sentence — that’s already a big step forward. 😊
Keep it simple, and you’ll improve every day!
📝Vocabulary List
想 (xiǎng) want to
公园 (gōngyuán) park
散步 (sànbù) take a walk
家 (jiā) home
睡觉 (shuìjiào) sleep
🎓Lesson Summary
Today, you learned how to use the word 在 (zài) not as a verb, but as a preposition to talk about where actions happen — like studying, eating, or sleeping.
You practiced:
👉 Subject + 在 + Place + Verb
👉 Subject + 不在 + Place + Verb
👉 Subject + 想 + 在 + Place + Verb
You now know how to:
✅ Say where things happen
✅ Ask “Where do you…?” using 吗 or 哪儿
✅ Talk about what you don’t do in certain places
✅ Use 想 patterns with 在
💪 You’re doing great!
Every time you say a full sentence, you’re training your brain to think in Chinese.
It doesn’t have to be perfect — just keep going, one sentence at a time.
You’re making real progress. 🌱
See you in the next lesson! Keep it up! 🌟
