HSK 1
Place Word Placement in Chinese
In Chinese, where an action happens goes before the verb: 在 + place + verb. So "I study at school" is 我在学校学习, literally "I at school study". Putting the place after the verb, English-style, is the most common beginner word-order error.
STRUCTURE
Subject + 在 + Place + Verb + Object
When to use 地点 — and when not
Use it when
- Saying where an action happens: 我在学校学习。
- 在 + place before the verb: 他在家看电视。
- With a time word too, place follows time: 我昨天在图书馆看书。
Don't use it when
- Putting the place after the verb like English: 我学习在学校 is wrong.
- Destination verbs 去 / 到 / 回 take the place after the verb: 我去学校, not 我在学校去。
- Pure existence (there is) — that is the 有 / existential pattern: 桌上有书。
Right vs. wrong
我学习在学校。
我在学校学习。
Place put after the verb (English order)
Chinese states where before the action: 在 + place + verb. The English "study at school" order — verb then place — does not carry over.
我在学校去。
我去学校。
在 used with a destination verb like 去
去 / 到 / 回 already point to a destination, so the place follows the verb directly. 在 marks the location of an ongoing action, not a place you move toward.
Examples
我在学校学习。
Wǒ zài xuéxiào xuéxí.
I study at school.
他在家看电视。
Tā zài jiā kàn diànshì.
He watches TV at home.
我们在饭馆吃饭。
Wǒmen zài fànguǎn chī fàn.
We eat at the restaurant.
我昨天在图书馆看书。
Wǒ zuótiān zài túshūguǎn kàn shū.
I read at the library yesterday.
你在哪儿工作?
Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?
Where do you work?
Common mistakes
我学习在学校。
Wǒ xuéxí zài xuéxiào.
Place goes before the verb: 我在学校学习。
我在学校去。
Wǒ zài xuéxiào qù.
Destination verbs take the place after: 我去学校。
他看电视在家。
Tā kàn diànshì zài jiā.
在家 goes before the verb: 他在家看电视。
Think you've got it?
Write your own 地点 sentence and check that grammar point first.
Place Word Placement FAQ
Where does the place word go in a Chinese sentence?
Before the verb, as 在 + place: 我在中国工作 (I work in China). English puts the place after the verb, but Chinese puts it before.
Why is 我在学校去 wrong?
去 already means "go to", so the destination follows it directly: 我去学校. 在 is for where an action happens, not where you're heading.
What if there is a time word too?
Time comes first, then place: 我每天在公司上班 (I work at the company every day). The order is subject + time + 在 place + verb.