你儿子在哪儿工作
Where Does Your Son Work · Dialogues · Vocabulary · Grammar
How to read this page: Line 1 = Chinese characters. Line 2 = pinyin (lined up character-by-character above each word). Line 3 = English meaning of the whole sentence, with the matching key word marked in (parentheses). Words in a pink box are this lesson's key vocabulary. Tap the 🔊 button to hear it read aloud — in the dialogue, speaker A and speaker B are read in two different voices.
📖 Text
Read the story once for the general idea, then go through it again line by line.
A ：xiǎo小māo猫zài在nǎ哪ér儿 ？
A: (Where) is the (kitty)?
B ：xiǎo小māo猫zài在nà那ér儿 。
B: The kitty is (over there).
A ：xiǎo小gǒu狗zài在nǎ哪ér儿 ？
A: Where is the (puppy)?
B ：xiǎo小gǒu狗zài在yǐ椅zi子xià下miàn面 。
B: The puppy is (under) the (chair).
A ：nǐ你zài在nǎ哪ér儿gōng工zuò作 ？
A: Where do you (work)?
B ：wǒ我zài在xué学xiào校gōng工zuò作 。
B: I work at a school.
A ：nǐ你ér儿zi子zài在nǎ哪ér儿gōng工zuò作 ？
A: Where does your (son) work?
B ：wǒ我ér儿zi子zài在yī医yuàn院gōng工zuò作 ，tā他shì是yī医shēng生 。
B: My son works at a (hospital) — he's a (doctor).
A ：nǐ你bà爸bà爸zài在jiā家ma吗 ？
A: Is your (father) at home?
B ：bù不zài在jiā家 。
B: No, he isn't.
A ：tā他zài在nǎ哪ér儿ne呢 ？
A: Where is he, then?
B ：tā他zài在yī医yuàn院 。
B: He's at the hospital.
📋 Key Vocabulary
Each word shows the part of speech, meaning, and an extra example sentence.
小adj.
small, little
小猫在那儿。
The kitty is over there.
The kitty is over there.
猫noun
cat
我家有一只猫。
I have a cat at home.
I have a cat at home.
在verb/prep.
to be in/on/at
小狗在椅子下面。
The puppy is under the chair.
The puppy is under the chair.
那儿pron.
there
小猫在那儿。
The kitty is over there.
The kitty is over there.
狗noun
dog
小狗在椅子下面。
The puppy is under the chair.
The puppy is under the chair.
椅子noun
chair
猫在椅子上面。
The cat is on the chair.
The cat is on the chair.
下面noun
under, below
小狗在椅子下面。
The puppy is under the chair.
The puppy is under the chair.
哪儿pron.
where
你在哪儿工作？
Where do you work?
Where do you work?
工作v./n.
to work; job
我在学校工作。
I work at a school.
I work at a school.
儿子noun
son
我儿子在医院工作。
My son works at a hospital.
My son works at a hospital.
医院noun
hospital
他在医院工作。
He works at a hospital.
He works at a hospital.
医生noun
doctor
他是医生。
He is a doctor.
He is a doctor.
爸爸noun
father
你爸爸在家吗？
Is your father at home?
Is your father at home?
🧩 Grammar Focus
Structures from this story worth practicing.
① The verb 在 — saying where someone or something is
动词 "在"
Subject + 在 + Place
在 acts as a verb when followed directly by a place word as the predicate, simply stating where a person or thing is located.
小狗在椅子下面。
Xiǎo gǒu zài yǐzi xiàmiàn.
The puppy is under the chair.
② 哪儿 — asking "where"
疑问代词 "哪儿"
Subject + 在 + 哪儿?
哪儿 is used in questions to ask about the location of a person or thing.
你在哪儿工作？
Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?
Where do you work?
③ The preposition 在 — where an action happens
介词 "在"
Subject + 在 + Place + Verb
在 can also work as a preposition: placed before a location word, it introduces where an action takes place, with the actual verb coming afterward.
我儿子在医院工作。
Wǒ érzi zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.
My son works at a hospital.
④ 呢 (2) — asking about location
疑问助词 "呢" (2)
Subject + 在 + 哪儿 + 呢?
At the end of a sentence, 呢 can mark a question asking about where someone or something is — adding a softer, more conversational tone than 在哪儿 alone.
他在哪儿呢？
Tā zài nǎr ne?
Where is he, then?
⭐ Key Sentences
Practice saying these sentences out loud. Try covering the English and translating from Chinese yourself.
小狗在椅子下面。
Xiǎo gǒu zài yǐzi xiàmiàn.
The puppy is under the chair.
我儿子在医院工作，他是医生。
Wǒ érzi zài yīyuàn gōngzuò, tā shì yīshēng.
My son works at a hospital — he's a doctor.
他在哪儿呢？他在医院。
Tā zài nǎr ne? Tā zài yīyuàn.
Where is he? He's at the hospital.
✅ Quick Check
Answer in your head, then check with your teacher.
1. Where is the puppy (dialogue 1)?
2. Where does B work (dialogue 2)?
3. What is B's son's job?
4. Is B's father at home (dialogue 3)?
你在哪儿工作？你的猫/狗在哪儿？Try describing your own day! 🐱🐶
