Vocabulary: Location and Direction
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 在 | zài | to be at / in / on |
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where |
| 这儿 / 这里 | zhèr / zhèlǐ | here |
| 那儿 / 那里 | nàr / nàlǐ | there |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school |
| 家 | jiā | home, family |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company, workplace |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 超市 | chāoshì | supermarket |
| 桌子 | zhuōzi | table |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 上 | shàng | on, above |
| 下 | xià | under, below |
| 里 | lǐ | inside |
| 外 | wài | outside |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | in front of |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | behind |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 猫 | māo | cat |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 包 | bāo | bag |
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple |
Grammar Point: Using 在 (zài)
The preposition 在 (zài) is used to describe location or to say “to be at/in/on.”
Basic structure:
[Subject] + 在 + [Place]
Examples:
- 我在学校。
(Wǒ zài xuéxiào.) → I am at school. - 他在家。
(Tā zài jiā.) → He is at home.
Adding Direction Words
You can combine 在 with a location word like “on,” “under,” or “inside” to describe where something is relative to something else.
Structure:
[Item 1] + 在 + [Item 2] + [position]
Examples:
- 书在桌子上。
(Shū zài zhuōzi shàng.) → The book is on the table. - 猫在椅子下。
(Māo zài yǐzi xià.) → The cat is under the chair. - 水在包里。
(Shuǐ zài bāo lǐ.) → The water is inside the bag.
Asking Where Something or Someone Is
To ask “Where is…?”, use:
Structure:
[Subject] + 在哪儿？
or
[Subject] + 在哪里？
Examples:
- 你在哪儿？
(Nǐ zài nǎr?) → Where are you? - 老师在哪里？
(Lǎoshī zài nǎlǐ?) → Where is the teacher?
Notes
- 在 (zài) always comes before the place or position.
- 这儿 / 那儿 are used more in the north (e.g., Beijing), while 这里 / 那里 are more common in the south and formal writing. Both mean “here” and “there.”
- Combine 在 + position words for clear location expressions: 上 (on), 下 (under), 里 (inside), 外 (outside), 前面 (in front), 后面 (behind).
- You can use these patterns with people, objects, and even abstract locations like “in the office” or “at school.”