gōngsī zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

The company is investigating this problem.

Breakdown of gōngsī zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

• 公司gōngsī: company
• 正在zhèngzài: progressive marker
• 这个zhège: this

Questions & Answers about gōngsī zhèngzài diàochá zhège wèntí.

What is the basic word order in 公司正在调查这个问题?

The basic order is:

Subject + 正在 + Verb + Object

So here:

• 公司 = the company
• 正在 = is currently / is in the middle of
• 调查 = investigate
• 这个问题 = this issue / this problem

So the sentence structure is very close to English:

The company is investigating this issue.

A very literal breakdown would be:

Company + currently + investigate + this problem

What does 正在 mean here?

正在 shows that an action is in progress right now. It is similar to the English be + -ing form.

So:

• 调查这个问题 = investigate this issue
• 正在调查这个问题 = be investigating this issue right now

It emphasizes that the investigation is ongoing at the present time.

What is the difference between 正在 and just 在?

Both can mark an ongoing action, but 正在 usually sounds a bit more explicit or formal.

For example:

• 公司在调查这个问题。
• 公司正在调查这个问题。

Both mean The company is investigating this issue, but 正在 puts slightly more focus on the action being underway right now.

Very roughly:

• 在 + verb = be doing
• 正在 + verb = be in the middle of doing / be currently doing

In everyday speech, both are common.