Level 1 · Beginner
Where the action lands: Verb + 在 / 到
Verb + 在 / 到 + Place
When an action ends up somewhere, the place goes after the verb, linked by 在 "at" or 到 "to": 住在北京 "live in Beijing", 放在桌子上 "put on the table", 走到学校 "walk to school". 在 says where someone or something ends up being; 到 says where the movement arrives.
Compare 在 + place before the verb: 我在家看书 "I read at home" just sets the scene for the whole action. After the verb, it tells you where things land — 他坐在我旁边 "he sits down next to me".
Examples
我住在北京。
wǒ zhù zài běi jīng
I live in Beijing.
书放在桌子上。
書放在桌子上。
shū fàng zài zhuō zi shàng
The book is on the table.
他坐在我旁边。
他坐在我旁邊。
tā zuò zài wǒ páng biān
He sits next to me.
我们走到学校了。
我們走到學校了。
wǒ men zǒu dào xué xiào le
We walked to school.
Common mistakes
✗ 我走学校。
✓ 我走到学校。
走 alone can't take a destination — 到 marks where you arrive.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Beijing, The Missing Buns (Part 1), Sunday Reading inside the Literate Chinese app.
