Subject + 在 + Place
This is how you say where someone or something is in Chinese. 在 functions as the verb 'to be at' — no separate 'is' needed. Put the subject first, then 在, then the place. That's the whole sentence. You can also stack a verb after the place to say 'do something at that place.' First pattern most learners meet, and it stays useful for life.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 在 [PLACE]
[SUBJECT] zài [PLACE]
How to Think About It
在 is doing the work of English 'is at' in one syllable. Do not add 是 — '他是在家' is wrong because 在 already means 'is at.' Adding 是 is like saying 'he is is at home.' When a verb comes after the place (他在家吃饭), 在 shifts to mean 'at' as a preposition, but the order — subject, 在, place, verb — stays the same.
Examples
我在家。
Wǒ zài jiā.
I'm at home.
他在学校。
Tā zài xuéxiào.
He's at school.
孩子们在公园里。
Háizimen zài gōngyuán lǐ.
The kids are in the park.
Common Mistake
Learners add 是 before 在, because they map 'he IS at home' word for word. 在 already carries the 'is at' meaning, so 是 is redundant and wrong.
他是在学校。
他在学校。
Don't Confuse With
在 + Place + Verb
Same 在, but with an action after the place. Use this when describing what someone is doing at that place, not just where they are.
Subject + 是 + Noun
Use 是 when equating a subject with a noun (他是老师). Use 在 when stating location. Never both together for location.
Subject + 有 + Object
有 means 'has' or 'there is.' Use 在 when the subject's location is the point. Use 有 when existence or possession is the point ('我家有狗').
Practice
我 ___ 北京。
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在
他们 在 ___。 (the office)
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办公室
Arrange: 老师 / 教室 / 在
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老师在教室。
My mom is at the supermarket.
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我妈妈在超市。
Write a sentence saying where you are right now.
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我在咖啡店。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 5 Fluentide episodes:
哪里在打仗？
德国在很远的地方。
义乌在中国。