How to use 在
Verb + 在 + Place
Locations of ordinary activities often come before the action in a phrase beginning with 在. Some verbs, however, naturally take 在 and a place after them. Verbs involving residence, position, or placement commonly allow this arrangement because the location forms part of the situation or endpoint the verb describes.
Learn these combinations with the particular verbs rather than extending the pattern to every action. Work and study, for instance, normally take an ordinary location phrase before the verb when saying where those activities happen. Some verbs allow different arrangements with different emphasis or meaning. Ask whether the place describes the setting for an activity or completes the location relationship expressed by the verb.
Examples with pinyin and English
你住在上海吗？
Do you live in Shanghai?
他坐在老板的旁边。
He sits next to the boss.
你应该站在我后面。
You should stand behind me.
不要坐在我的床上。
Don't sit on my bed.
What to remember
- Learn the postverbal pattern with specific verbs.
- Residence and positioning verbs commonly take it.
- Ordinary activity settings usually precede the verb.
Practise the pattern
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.