Level 2 · Elementary
Actions in progress with 在
Subj. + 在 / 正在 + Verb
在 before a verb means the action is happening right now: 我在吃饭 "I'm eating". 正在 is the same but emphasizes "right in the middle of it".
A sentence-final 呢 often tags along for a casual tone: 妈妈在做饭呢. Don't reach for 是 here — English "is eating" tempts learners into 我是吃饭, which doesn't exist.
Examples
我在吃饭。
我在吃飯。
wǒ zài chī fàn
I'm eating.
他正在睡觉。
他正在睡覺。
tā zhèng zài shuì jiào
He's sleeping (right now).
妈妈在做饭呢。
媽媽在做飯呢。
mā ma zài zuò fàn ne
Mom is cooking.
你在做什么？
你在做什麼？
nǐ zài zuò shén me
What are you doing?
Common mistakes
✗ 我是吃饭。
✓ 我在吃饭。
Ongoing actions use 在 + verb, never 是.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like The Customer Who Came Back (Part 2), A Little Accident (Part 3), The First Warm Moment (Part 2) inside the Literate Chinese app.
