Places and directions
在 with a place and 里, 上, 旁边 or 前面; from one place to another with 从 ... 到; how you go with 坐 and what you use with 用. At Higher, how far with 离.
Learn
Places and directions, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Add a position word after the place
Where English says "on the table", Chinese says the table, then on: 桌子上. 里 is in (书包里) and 下 is under (床下). After 在, the whole phrase says where: 猫在床下。 A country or a city needs no position word: 在中国, 在伦敦.
Use the longer position words
前边 (in front), 后边 (behind), 旁边 (next to), 中间 (in the middle), 对面 (opposite), and 左边 and 右边 (on the left and right) all follow the place they describe: 银行在邮局旁边。 我家对面有一个公园。
Say where an action happens with 在 before the verb
在 and a place, put before the verb, say where something is done: 我在图书馆看书。 我妈妈在医院工作。 (My mum works at the hospital.)
Say from and to with 从 and 到
从 is from and 到 is to, for places and for times: 从伦敦到北京, 从九点到三点. 我从英国来。 means I come from Britain. 到 can also be the verb arrive: 我七点到学校。
Say how you travel with 坐, 骑 and 开车
坐 (sit) is for anything you sit in: 坐火车, 坐飞机, 坐公共汽车. 骑 is for anything you sit astride: 骑自行车. To drive is 开车, and on foot is 走路. How you travel goes before the main verb: 我坐地铁去学校。
Say what you use with 用
用 means using, and it goes before the verb: 用筷子吃面条 (eat noodles with chopsticks), 用电脑做作业. 你会用筷子吗？
Give and follow directions
一直走 means go straight on. To turn, put 往 or 向 (both mean towards) and the side before 转: 往左转, 向右转. Then name the place with a position word: 银行在你右边。 (The bank is on your right.)
Say how far with 离Higher only
离 gives the distance between two places: one place, 离, the other, then 远 or 近. 我家离学校很近。 (My home is close to school.) Ask with 多远: 你家离这儿多远？ 离 says how far apart; 从 says where a journey starts.
Places and directions key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Position word
- A word after a place that says where: 上 (on), 里 (in), 下 (under), 旁边 (next to).
- 旁边
- Next to, after the place: 银行旁边.
- 对面
- Opposite, placed after the thing it is opposite: 学校对面.
- 从…到…
- From … to …, for places or times: 从九点到三点.
- 坐
- To travel by something you sit in, before the verb: 坐火车去.
- 骑
- To ride something you sit astride, such as a bike or a horse: 骑自行车.
- 用
- Using, with the thing you use, before the verb: 用筷子吃面条.
- 往 and 向
- Towards, in directions, before a side or a way: 往左转 (turn left), 向右转 (turn right).
- 离Higher only
- From, for distance: 我家离学校很远 (my home is a long way from school).
Common mistakes in Places and directions
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving out 里 or 上, as in 我的书在书包.
Add the position word after the place: 我的书在书包里, 手机在桌子上.
Adding 里 after a country or a city, as in 在中国里.
Countries and cities need no position word: 在中国, 在北京.
Using 坐 for a bike, as in 坐自行车.
A bike or a horse is ridden: 骑自行车. Keep 坐 for buses, trains, planes and cars.
Putting the position word before the place, as in 在旁边银行.
It goes after the place, the opposite of English: 在银行旁边.
Using 从 for how far, as in 我家从学校很近.Higher only
The distance between two places takes 离: 我家离学校很近.
Practice
Try a Places and directions question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which sentence means 'I play football in the park every Saturday'?
- 我在公园踢足球每个星期六。
- 我每个星期六踢足球在公园。
- 我每个星期六在公园踢足球。
- 在公园我踢足球每个星期六。
Show the answer and the working
Answer: 我每个星期六在公园踢足球。
Time first, then place, then the action: 每个星期六 + 在公园 + 踢足球.
- 我: who.
- 每个星期六: when.
- 在公园: where; then 踢足球.