Simplified Chinese - Basic Location

Lesson 16 of 156

A bright scene showing a cat under a table in a living room — Simplified Chinese lesson on basic location phrases.

Goal: Say where things are: under, behind, between, inside/outside

Free Simplified Chinese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Ready to point things out? This short lesson helps you say where people and objects are. Listen, repeat, and try the phrases aloud.

Level A1: In this lesson you'll learn simple location phrases like “___在___下面。” (___ zài ___ xiàmiàn.) and questions like “___在里面还是外面？” (___ zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?). We'll practice saying things are under, behind, in front of, between, at a place, and whether something is inside or outside. This CEFR-aligned lesson is playful and very practical—perfect for everyday life.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use simple sentence frames to say where things or people are (under, behind, in front of, between, at a place).
  • Ask and answer whether someone or something is inside or outside using “___在里面还是外面？(___ zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?).”
  • Level A1: recognize and repeat eight core location chunks and use them in short conversation.
Two friends in a park pointing at a dog behind a tree — image for a Simplified Chinese basic location lesson.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___在___下面。

___ zài ___ xiàmiàn.

___ is under ___.

Meaning: ___ is under ___.

When to use: Use this frame to say that one thing is below or under another object (for example, a cat under a table).

书在桌子下面

shū zài zhuōzi xiàmiàn.

The book is under the table.
手机在沙发下面。

shǒujī zài shāfā xiàmiàn.

The phone is under the sofa.

___在___后面。

___ zài ___ hòumiàn.

___ is behind ___.

Meaning: ___ is behind ___.

When to use: Use this to say that someone or something is at the back of another person or object (e.g., a person standing behind a door).

Tip: Beginners sometimes confuse 前面 and 后面 — check whether you mean front or back.

孩子在门后面

háizi zài mén hòumiàn.

The child is behind the door.
猫在沙发后面睡觉。

māo zài shāfā hòumiàn shuìjiào.

The cat is sleeping behind the sofa.

___在___前面。

___ zài ___ qiánmiàn.

___ is in front of ___.

Meaning: ___ is in front of ___.

When to use: Say this when someone or something is located ahead of or in front of another object or person.

Tip: Don't drop 在 — saying “车前面” without 在 is casual but can sound incomplete for learners.

车在房子前面

chē zài fángzi qiánmiàn.

The car is in front of the house.
我站在老师前面。

wǒ zhàn zài lǎoshī qiánmiàn.

I am standing in front of the teacher.

___在___和___中间。

___ zài ___ hé ___ zhōngjiān.

___ is between ___ and ___.

Meaning: ___ is between ___ and ___.

When to use: Use this to describe something located in the middle of two things (people or objects).

咖啡杯在书和手机中间。

kāfēi bēi zài shū hé shǒujī zhōngjiān.

The coffee cup is between the book and the phone.
小狗在两把椅子中间。

xiǎo gǒu zài liǎng bǎ yǐzi zhōngjiān.

The puppy is between two chairs.

___在___。

___ zài ___.

___ is at ___.

Meaning: ___ is at ___.

When to use: A general frame to say someone or something is at a place (home, school, office, park, etc.).

她在学校

tā zài xuéxiào.

She is at school.
包在车里

bāo zài chē lǐ.

The bag is in the car.

___在里面还是外面？

___ zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?

Is ___ inside or outside?

Meaning: Is ___ inside or outside?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know whether a person or object is indoors (inside) or outdoors (outside).

孩子们在里面还是外面？

háizimen zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?

Are the children inside or outside?
猫在里面还是外面？

māo zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?

Is the cat inside or outside?

___在里面

___ zài lǐmiàn.

___ is inside.

Meaning: ___ is inside.

When to use: Say this to tell someone that a person or object is indoors or inside some space.

雨很大，孩子们在里面。

yǔ hěn dà, háizimen zài lǐmiàn.

It is raining a lot; the children are inside.
钥匙在抽屉里面。

yàoshi zài chōuti lǐmiàn.

The keys are inside the drawer.

___在外面

___ zài wàimiàn.

___ is outside.

Meaning: ___ is outside.

When to use: Use this to say someone or something is outdoors or outside a space.

狗在外面玩

gǒu zài wàimiàn wán.

The dog is playing outside.
等一下，他在外面。

děng yíxià, tā zài wàimiàn.

Wait a moment, he is outside.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David look for a lost phone at home.

Anna and David looking at objects: a phone under a sofa, a bag between two chairs — scene for the mini-dialogue using location phrases in Simplified Chinese.

Where is the phone found in the conversation?

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

我的手机呢

wǒ de shǒujī ne?

Where is my phone?

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

我看见手机在沙发下面。

wǒ kànjiàn shǒujī zài shāfā xiàmiàn.

I see the phone under the sofa.

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

孩子们在外面玩吗？

háizimen zài wàimiàn wán ma?

Are the children playing outside?

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

他们在花园前面，球在他们中间。

tāmen zài huāyuán qiánmiàn, qiú zài tāmen zhōngjiān.

They're in front of the garden, the ball is between them.

Portrait of Anna in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

Anna

哦，钥匙在哪里？

ò, yàoshi zài nǎlǐ?

Oh, where are the keys?

Portrait of David in a Simplified Chinese lesson dialogue

David

钥匙在桌子上，但钱包在桌子后面。

yàoshi zài zhuōzi shàng, dàn qiánbāo zài zhuōzi hòumiàn.

The keys are on the table, but the wallet is behind the table.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Where does this sentence say the phone is? “手机在沙发下面。”

What does “在外面” mean?

Choose the sentence that says something is between two things.

How would you ask if the dog is inside or outside?

I just searched the living room; the phone is missing. Look, the phone is under the sofa.

我刚从客厅找东西，手机不见了。你看看，手机 ___

The garden is quiet. We're looking for the rabbit. The rabbit might be behind the tree.

花园里很安静。我们在找兔子。兔子可能 ___ 树后面。

The keys were found. Now the keys are between the phone and the wallet.

钥匙找到了。现在钥匙 ___ 手机和钱包中间。

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在___下面。

___ zài ___ xiàmiàn.

___ is under ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在___后面。

___ zài ___ hòumiàn.

___ is behind ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在___前面。

___ zài ___ qiánmiàn.

___ is in front of ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在___和___中间。

___ zài ___ hé ___ zhōngjiān.

___ is between ___ and ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在___。

___ zài ___.

___ is at ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在里面还是外面？

___ zài lǐmiàn háishi wàimiàn?

Is ___ inside or outside?

Say this phrase out loud:

___在里面

___ zài lǐmiàn.

___ is inside.

Say this phrase out loud:

___在外面

___ zài wàimiàn.

___ is outside.