Breakdown of lùyóuqì zài diànnǎo hòumiàn.
在zài
to be at
电脑diànnǎo
computer
路由器lùyóuqì
router
后面hòumiàn
the back; behind
Questions & Answers about lùyóuqì zài diànnǎo hòumiàn.
What does 在 mean in this sentence?
Here, 在 means to be at / to be located at.
So 路由器在电脑后面 means literally:
- 路由器 = router
- 在 = is located at
- 电脑后面 = behind the computer
In sentences about location, 在 often works like English is/are ... at/in/on/behind.
Why is the word order different from English?
Mandarin usually puts location information in this pattern:
thing + 在 + place + location word
So:
- 路由器 = the router
- 在 = is located
- 电脑后面 = behind the computer
That gives:
路由器 在 电脑 后面。
English says The router is behind the computer, but Mandarin builds it more like:
The router is located at the computer’s back side.
This word order is very common.
Why is there no word for is like 是?