Pattern 1: Subject + 在 + Place (location)

For stating where a SPECIFIC thing is.

• 我在家。 (Wǒ zài jiā.) - I'm at home.
• 他在学校。 (Tā zài xué xiào.) - He's at school.
• 我们在北京。 (Wǒ men zài běi jīng.) - We're in Beijing.
• 你的书在桌子上。 (Nǐ de shū zài zhuō zi shàng.) - Your book is on the table.

The known subject sits first, 在 in the middle, the place at the end. Answers the question 'where IS X?'

This 在 is the standalone verb meaning 'to be at / in / on'. It's the same 在 that appears as a co-verb in front of other verbs (我在家吃饭, I eat at home), but here it stands alone as the main verb.

Pattern 2: Place + 有 + Thing (existence)

For saying what THINGS or PEOPLE exist at a place.

• 家里有人。 (Jiā li yǒu rén.) - There's someone at home.
• 桌子上有一本书。 (Zhuō zi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.) - There's a book on the table.
• 学校里有很多学生。 (Xué xiào li yǒu hěn duō xué shēng.) - There are a lot of students at the school.
• 公园里有一只猫。 (Gōng yuán li yǒu yì zhī māo.) - There's a cat in the park.

The place sits first, 有 in the middle, the thing/person at the end. Answers the question 'what's there at X?'

The thing that follows 有 is usually INDEFINITE (一本书 - 'a book', not 'the book'). For a definite thing in a known location, use the 在 pattern: 那本书在桌子上 (that book is on the table).

Pattern 3: Place + 是 + Thing (descriptive location)

A third pattern, used when the place is FULL of one specific thing or when you're identifying what something IS at a place.

• 桌子上是一本书。 (Zhuō zi shàng shì yì běn shū.) - On the table is a book.
• 山上是雪。 (Shān shang shì xuě.) - On the mountain is snow (the mountain is covered with snow).
• 房子前面是一个公园。 (Fáng zi qián miàn shì yí ge gōng yuán.) - In front of the house is a park.

The 是 pattern is less common than 在 or 有. It tends to imply that the place is uniquely characterised by what's there. Foundation-tier learners should know it exists but default to 在 and 有.

The position-words: 上, 下, 里, 外, 前, 后, 旁边, 中间

Places in Mandarin often need a position-word attached to make them work syntactically as a place. English says 'on the table'; Mandarin says 'table-on' (桌子上).

For most of these, you can also add 边 (biān) or 面 (miàn) to make a longer version: 上面 (above), 里面 (inside), 前面 (in front), 后面 (behind). Both forms work; the longer forms are slightly more deliberate.

Compound examples:

• 书在桌子上。 (Shū zài zhuō zi shàng.) - The book is on the table.
• 猫在床下。 (Māo zài chuáng xià.) - The cat is under the bed.
• 椅子在房子里。 (Yǐ zi zài fáng zi li.) - The chair is in the house.
• 他在我旁边。 (Tā zài wǒ páng biān.) - He's next to me.

Positional phrases with 的: 'the X that is at Y'

You can flip a positional phrase into a noun-modifier by attaching 的.

• 墙上的画 (qiáng shang de huà) - the picture on the wall
• 桌子上的书 (zhuō zi shang de shū) - the book on the table
• 房子前的车 (fáng zi qián de chē) - the car in front of the house
• 我旁边的人 (wǒ páng biān de rén) - the person next to me

The pattern: Place + position-word + 的 + Noun. This is the standard way to specify which X you mean when X has a location.

Negation

The negator depends on which pattern you're negating.

• 在 negates with 不: 我不在家 (I'm not at home).
• 有 negates with 没 (always): 家里没有人 (there's nobody at home). 没有 also shortens to just 没 in some contexts but 没有 is safer.

Don't try 不有 - it doesn't exist. The 没 rule for 有 is one of the firmest in Mandarin grammar.

Question forms

For location: 你在哪儿? (where are you?). 你的书在哪儿? (where's your book?).

For existence: 桌子上有什么? (what's on the table?). 家里有人吗? (is there anyone at home?). For 有 questions, V-not-V works well: 家里有没有人?

What to internalise

1. 在 for known location; 有 for existence. Subject 在 Place vs Place 有 Thing.
2. Position words attach to the place. 桌子上, 房子里, 床下.
3. The 的 modifier turns position into a noun-modifier. 墙上的画 (the picture on the wall).
4. 有 negates with 没, never 不. This is the rule with no exceptions.
5. Compound 位置: place + 在 + further place works fine for nested locations: 我在学校里 (I'm in the school).

For the wider grammar map, the Mandarin grammar cheatsheet puts location alongside word order and aspect.