在How to Use 在 (zài) for Places

Saying where someone is

Person or thing + 在 + place.

Here 在 is the verb of the sentence and means "to be at" or "to be in". You don't need 是: say 我在家 (I'm at home), not 我是家. To ask where someone is, use 在哪儿.

1. 我在家。Wǒ zài jiā.I'm at home.
2. 你在哪儿？Nǐ zài nǎr?Where are you?
3. 我爸爸妈妈在中国。Wǒ bàba māma zài Zhōngguó.My mum and dad are in China.
4. 他在公司。Tā zài gōngsī.He's at the office.

On, in and under

Apart from 在 itself, Chinese has no words for "on", "in" or "under" in front of the noun. Instead, a position word goes after the noun: 桌子上 (on the table), 房间里 (in the room), 椅子下边 (under the chair). An everyday object such as 桌子 needs one of these words before it can be used as a place.

Countries and cities are already places, so they don't take 里: say 在中国, not 在中国里. With 家 and 学校, 里 is optional. On its own, a position word with 边 can be the place: 在外边 (outside), 在前边 (in front).

1. 我的手机在桌子上。Wǒ de shǒujī zài zhuōzi shang.My phone is on the table.
2. 我的电脑在房间里。Wǒ de diànnǎo zài fángjiān li.My computer is in the room.
3. 你的书在椅子下边。Nǐ de shū zài yǐzi xiàbian.Your book is under the chair.
4. 我朋友在外边。Wǒ péngyou zài wàibian.My friend is outside.

Where you do something

Subject + 在 + place + verb.

To say where an action happens, put 在 and the place before the verb. This is the most common mistake for English speakers, who put the place at the end: 我工作在医院 is wrong; say 我在医院工作. A time word such as 晚上 or 今天 usually comes before 在.

When 在 comes straight before a verb with no place after it, it means the action is happening right now. That is a different use of 在.

1. 我在医院工作。Wǒ zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.I work at a hospital.
2. 我在中国学习汉语。Wǒ zài Zhōngguó xuéxí Hànyǔ.I'm studying Chinese in China.
3. 我们晚上在家看电视。Wǒmen wǎnshang zài jiā kàn diànshì.We watch TV at home in the evening.
4. 我们在饭店吃饭吧。Wǒmen zài fàndiàn chī fàn ba.Let's eat at a restaurant.

Negatives and questions

Put 不 before 在 to make it negative. 不 changes to the second tone here, because 在 is fourth tone: bú zài. This works for both uses: 他不在家 (he isn't at home) and 我不在学校吃饭 (I don't eat at school).

For a yes/no question, add 吗 at the end, or use 在不在. In 在不在, the 不 is said lightly with a neutral tone.

1. 他不在家。Tā bú zài jiā.He isn't at home.
2. 我今天不在学校吃饭。Wǒ jīntiān bú zài xuéxiào chī fàn.I'm not eating at school today.
3. 你妈妈在家吗？Nǐ māma zài jiā ma?Is your mum at home?
4. 你爸爸在不在家？Nǐ bàba zài bu zài jiā?Is your dad at home?

在 or 有?

Both can talk about things in places, but the word order is opposite. With 在, the thing comes first and you say where it is; the thing is usually something specific that both speakers know about. With 有, the place comes first and you say what is there, often something new with a number: "there is a book on the table".

1. 那本书在桌子上。Nà běn shū zài zhuōzi shang.That book is on the table.
2. 桌子上有一本书。Zhuōzi shang yǒu yì běn shū.There's a book on the table.

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