在家工作 · 在北京学习
doing something somewhere: 在 + place goes before the verb
Structure
主语 + （时间） + 在 + 地点 + 动词 （+ 宾语）
What it means
在 + place before the verb says where you do something: 我在北京工作, literally “I at Beijing work”.
How it is built
Subject + (time) + 在 + place + verb (+ object): 我晚上在家学习 (I study at home in the evening).
When to use it
Where you do something goes before the verb; with both time and place, time comes first. A few verbs, such as 住, can also take 在 after them: 我住在北京.
Watch out
✗ 我工作在北京。 ✓ 我在北京工作。 Don’t copy the English order: 在 + place goes before the verb.
Examples
你在哪儿工作？——我在一家书店工作。
Where do you work? — I work in a bookshop.
我在北京学习中文。
I’m learning Chinese in Beijing.
我们晚上在家吃饭。
We eat at home in the evening.
Learn this in HSK 1 · Lesson 9: 现在几点 (Telling the time)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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