Chinese grammar · Beginner (A1)
有 and 在, and location words
有 for having and “there is”, 在 for where something is, location words after the noun (桌子上, 房间里), and 在 + place before a verb.
有: to have
(yǒu) means “to have”: (wǒ yǒu liǎng ge jiějie, I have two older sisters). Its negative is always (méiyǒu), or just , never 不有. To ask, add or use (yǒu méiyǒu).
- 我有两个姐姐。Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge jiějie.I have two older sisters.
- 我没有车。Wǒ méiyǒu chē.I don't have a car.
- 你有孩子吗？Nǐ yǒu háizi ma?Do you have children?
有: there is, there are
With a place at the start, means “there is” or “there are”: place + + thing. (Fùjìn yǒu dìtiězhàn ma? Is there a metro station nearby?). English starts with “there is”; Chinese starts with the place.
The negative is again : (zhèr méiyǒu yínháng, there's no bank here).
- 附近有地铁站吗？Fùjìn yǒu dìtiězhàn ma?Is there a metro station nearby?
- 桌子上有一个手机。Zhuōzi shang yǒu yí ge shǒujī.There's a phone on the table.
- 这儿没有银行。Zhèr méiyǒu yínháng.There's no bank here.
在: where something is
To say where someone or something is, use thing + (zài) + place: (yínháng zài qiánmiàn, the bank is up ahead), (wǒ zài jiā, I'm at home). No is needed. The negative is (bú zài): (tā bú zài, he isn't here).
and look at the same scene from two sides. starts with something you already know about and says where it is. starts with the place and tells you what's there, usually something new.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| thing + + place | (Shū zài zhuōzi shang.) The book is on the table. |
| place + + thing | (Zhuōzi shang yǒu yì běn shū.) There's a book on the table. |
- 银行在哪儿？Yínháng zài nǎr?Where's the bank?
- 银行在前面。Yínháng zài qiánmiàn.The bank is up ahead.
- 王老师在吗？Wáng lǎoshī zài ma?Is Mr Wang in?
- 他不在。Tā bú zài.He isn't here.
Location words come after the noun
English says “on the table”, with the little word first. Chinese puts a location word after the noun: (zhuōzi shang, on the table), (fángjiān li, in the room), (shāfā pángbiān, next to the sofa). The short 上 and 里 are said lightly after a noun.
Cities and countries don't take a location word: (zài Běijīng, in Beijing), not 在北京里. Many places you go to regularly don't need one either: (zài jiā, at home), (zài gōngsī, at the office), (zài yínháng, at the bank).
| Location word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 上 (shang), (shàngmiàn) | on, above | (zhuōzi shang, on the table) |
| (xiàmiàn) | under, below | (yǐzi xiàmiàn, under the chair) |
| 里 (li), (lǐmiàn) | in, inside | (fángjiān li, in the room) |
| (wàimiàn) | outside | (mén wàimiàn, outside the door) |
| (qiánmiàn) | in front, ahead | (yínháng qiánmiàn, in front of the bank) |
| (hòumiàn) | behind | (fángzi hòumiàn, behind the house) |
| (pángbiān) | next to | (shāfā pángbiān, next to the sofa) |
| (zuǒbian) | on the left | (yínháng zuǒbian, to the left of the bank) |
| (yòubian) | on the right | (mén yòubian, to the right of the door) |
| (duìmiàn) | opposite | (xuéxiào duìmiàn, opposite the school) |
| (zhōngjiān) | between, in the middle | (yínháng hé chāoshì zhōngjiān, between the bank and the supermarket) |
- 我的手机在沙发上。Wǒ de shǒujī zài shāfā shang.My phone is on the sofa.
- 房间里有两张床。Fángjiān li yǒu liǎng zhāng chuáng.There are two beds in the room.
- 地铁站在银行对面。Dìtiězhàn zài yínháng duìmiàn.The metro station is opposite the bank.
在 + place before a verb
+ place goes before the verb to say where something happens: (wǒ zài yínháng gōngzuò, I work at a bank), (wǒmen zài jiā chīfàn, we eat at home). With (zhù, to live), the place usually comes after the verb: (wǒ zhù zài Shànghǎi, I live in Shanghai).
straight before a verb, with no place, means that an action is going on right now: (wǒ zài chīfàn, I'm eating). The page on ongoing actions explains this.
- 她在医院工作。Tā zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.She works at a hospital.
- 你住在哪儿？Nǐ zhù zài nǎr?Where do you live?
- 我住在北京，在一家公司工作。Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng, zài yì jiā gōngsī gōngzuò.I live in Beijing and work for a company.