Chinese for English speakers House · Lesson 5

Being in a place

Chinese 在 as verb — 你爸爸在吗? (Is your father at home?) — 在 alone means 'to be (present)'.

Conversation

  1. Bob Bob

    你好！你爸爸在吗？

    nǐ hǎo! nǐ bà ba zài ma?

    Hello, is your father at home?

    Tip: 在<zài> = to be there/ to be present

  2. Cassian Cassian

    他不在家。

    tā bú zài jiā.

    No, he is not.

    Tip: 在+ place <zài> = to be in a place

  3. Bob Bob

    他在哪里？

    tā zài nǎ lǐ?

    Where is he?

  4. Cassian Cassian

    他在公司。

    tā zài gōng sī.

    He is at the office

    Tip: 公司 <gōng sī> = company, office

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What does 在 mean as a verb?

'To be present / exist at a place'. 他在 = 'he's here/there'. 他不在 = 'he's not (here)'.

What's the difference between 在 verb and 在 preposition?

Verb: 我在家 (I'm at home). Preposition: 我在家工作 (I work at home). Same character, different roles.

Chinese for 'no, not here'?

他不在 = 'he's not here'. 不在家 = 'not at home'. Common when answering door/phone.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Chinese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

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