Where Was I? Using Using 在, 有 and 是 to Talk About Location

When describing the position of someone or something, Mandarin Chinese commonly uses three verbs: 在(zài), 是(shì), and 有(yǒu). These three words have very similar uses, but in most cases they are not interchangeable. They each have their own specific sentence structures that can be used to convey where something is located in relation to other objects or locations.

Differentiating between 在(zài), 是(shì), and 有(yǒu) is a fundamental part of learning Chinese grammar, and they serve a very practical purpose. Having these verbs in your toolbox will help you navigate the world better, in a very literal sense.

1. 在 (zài)

Very plainly, 在 can be used to point out where something is.

Someone/something + 在(verb) + Location word

This pattern is similar to the English sentence structure “Something/someone is at X location.” However, 在 is a verb, not a preposition.

For example:

Noun/noun phrase	在	Location word	English meaning
刘老师 Liú lǎoshī	在 zài	教室里。 jiàoshì lǐ.	Teacher Liu is in the classroom.
你的车 Nǐ de chē	在 zài	外面吗？ wàimiàn ma?	Is your car outside?
超市 Chāoshì	在不在 zài bú zài	你家旁边？ nǐ jiā pángbiān?	Is the supermarket next to your home?
银行 Yínháng	在 zài	哪儿？ nǎ’er?	Where is the bank?

2. 有(yǒu)

有 can be used to indicate that something exists in a particular place. Note that unlike 在, the location will come before 有, and the object will come after.

Location word + 有+ Someone/something

Location word	有	Noun/noun phrase	English meaning
我家对面 Wǒjiā duìmiàn	有 yǒu	一个公园。 yígè gōngyuán.	Across from our home, there is a park.
学校里 Xuéxiào lǐ	有 yǒu	书店。 shūdiàn.	There is a bookstore in the university.
书店旁边 Shūdiàn pángbiān	有 yǒu	一个银行 Yígè yínháng	There is a bank next to the bookstore.
教学楼前 Jiàoxué lóu qián	有 yǒu	很多自行车。 hěnduō zìxíngchē.	There are many bicycles in front of the academic building.

3. 是(shì)

This structure with 是 can be used to specify who or what is in a particular place. The important thing to keep in mind here is that it’s implied that there is something in that location, even if we don’t know what it is yet.

Location word + 是+ Someone/something

For example:

Location word	是	Noun/noun phrase	English meaning
这个包里 Zhège bāo lǐ	是 shì	什么东西？ shénme dōngxi?	What’s in this bag?
这个包里 Zhège bāo lǐ	是 shì	手机和钱包。 shǒujī hé qiánbāo.	There is a cell phone and wallet in this bag.
孩子前边 Háizi qiánbian	是 shì	妈妈。 māma.	The kid’s mom is in front of him.
超市对面 Chāoshì duìmiàn	是 shì	咖啡馆。 kāfēi guǎn.	Across from the supermarket is a coffee shop.

4. General comparison between 在, 有 and 是

Let’s review the three most common ways to express the position of an object in Chinese:

English sentence	Chinese sentence
B is A’s location The park is next to my home.	公园 在 我家的旁边 (Gōngyuán zài wǒjiā de pángbian.)
A is B’s location There is a park next to my home.	我家 的旁边 有 公园 (Wǒjiā de pángbian yǒu gōngyuán.)
A is B’s location Next to my home is a park.	我家 的旁边 是 公园 (Wǒjiā de pángbian shì gōngyuán.)

To further elaborate on the difference between 有 and 是: A sentence with 有 only denotes what exists in a certain place, while a sentence with 是 not only indicates that a certain thing exists in a certain place but also further specifies what that thing is.

A： 我家旁边有一个公园.( Wǒjiā pángbiān yǒu yí gè gōngyuán.)
There is a park next to my home.

B：是什么公园？(Shì shénme gōngyuán?)
What kind of park?/What’s the name of that park?
(B wants to know more information about that park in detail.)

A: (我家旁边)是景山公园。(Wǒjiā pángbiān) shì jǐngshān gōngyuán.
It’s Jingshan Park (beside my home).

Furthermore, the object of a sentence with 有 is usually a general noun, while the object of a sentence with 是 is usually a specific noun.

Therefore, we can say

“孩子前边有个人。There is a person in front of the child,”

But we wouldn’t say

“孩子前边有妈妈。 There is a mother in front of the child.”

Instead, we would say

“孩子前边是妈妈。The child’s mother is in front of them”
or 
“妈妈在孩子前面。The mother is in front of the child.”

Conclusion

When it comes to expressing the position of something or someonein Chinese, there are three common ways to do it.

在(zài) can directly indicate the location or position of an object. 有(yǒu) can indicate the existence of an object in a particular place. Finally, 是(shì) can indicate the existence of an object in a particular place and further specify what that thing or person is.

It’s important to note the specific differences between using 有 and 是, where the former denotes what exists in a certain place and the latter further specifies what that thing or person is.

Familiarizing yourself with these structures will allow you to express yourself in Chinese with a higher level of fluency and specificity, which will make everyday conversations go much more smoothly.

Learn more about Chinese grammar points. Furthermore, here is an all-in-one guide for all Chinese beginners.

Let’s do some exercises

Try to translate these sentences into Chinese:

1. There are many students in the library.
2. He studies Chinese in Beijing.
3. The bathroom is next to the bedroom.
4. Who is on your left?
5. The bank is across from the post office.
6. The kid is behind his dad.

Reference answers:

1. 图书馆里有很多学生。/ 很多学生在图书馆里。
2. 他在北京学中文。
3. 卫生间在卧室旁边。/ 卫生间旁边是卧室。
4. 谁在你左边？/ 你左边的是谁？
5. 银行在邮局对面。/ 银行对面是邮局。
6. 孩子在他爸爸的后面。/ 爸爸的后面是孩子。