Finding your classroom: where is Building Two?

How to use these phrases

Start politely with 请问 (qǐngwèn), 'Excuse me, may I ask…?' To locate a place, use Place + 在 + 哪儿: 教室在哪儿？ means 'Where is the classroom?' The question word stays in the position where the answer belongs; do not move it to the front as in English. Answer with Place A + 在 + Place B + location word. 二号楼在图书馆旁边。 means 'Building Two is next to the library.' 旁边 means 'next to'; 对面 means 'opposite'. 在 locates something, so do not replace it with 是. 二号楼 is a building label, not a count of two buildings. Read the six sentence cards as a conversation: a new student asks, another student replies. Then cover the English and use the campus picture to ask two location questions of your own. Pinyin keeps dictionary tone marks for third-tone combinations; in speech, the first third tone often rises before another third tone.

Example sentences