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HSK 2.0 Level 2+ HSK 3.0 Level 2+ 6 min read

Place + Verb + 着 to Describe What Is There

Describe what is in a place and how it is placed, like 桌子上放着一本书 or 门口站着两个人.

Pattern

Place (+ 上/里) + verb + 着 (+ number + measure word) + noun

Start with the place, then say how something is there with verb + 着, and end with the thing.

桌子上放着一本书。

When to use Place + Verb + 着 to Describe What Is There

This sentence describes a scene. It starts with the place (桌子上, 门口, 房间里), then a verb + 着 that shows how something is there (放着 “placed”, 坐着 “sitting”, 写着 “written”), and ends with the thing or person, often with a number: 桌子上放着一本书. The place is the subject, so no 在 in front of it, and the thing comes last, after the verb. It is like saying “there is a book lying on the table”.

门口站着两个人。

Two people are standing at the door.

椅子上坐着一个孩子。

A child is sitting on the chair.

黑板上写着很多汉字。

There are lots of Chinese characters written on the board.

我的房间里放着一张床和一张桌子。

In my room there’s a bed and a desk.

Common traps

  • Say 桌子上放着一本书, not 在桌子上放着一本书: the place is the subject, so don’t start with 在.
  • Say 桌子上放着一本书, not 桌子放着一本书: add 上 or 里 to turn a thing like 桌子 into a place.
  • Say 门口站着两个人, not 两个人门口站着: in this pattern the person or thing comes after the verb.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

去年我去 北京三次

I have been to Beijing three times, all last year. Mark the experience
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