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Questions & Answers about nín zài nǎr gōngzuò?
Why use bold 您 (nín) instead of bold 你 (nǐ) here? When should I choose each? Is bold 您们 a thing?
- bold 您 is the polite singular “you,” used for elders, customers, superiors, or strangers in formal contexts. bold 你 is neutral/casual.
- In Taiwan, bold 您 is used less; people often rely on polite phrasing like bold 请问 to show respect.
- bold 您们 does appear in speech but many style guides prefer avoiding it. For polite plural, use bold 各位/大家 or just bold 你们 with a respectful tone.
What is bold 在 (zài) doing here? Is it “at/in” or “in the middle of doing”?
- Here bold 在 = “at/in,” introducing location: bold 在 + place + 工作.
- When bold 在 comes directly before a verb, it marks the progressive: bold 我在工作 = I’m working. Compare: bold 您在工作吗？ (Are you working?) vs bold 您在哪儿工作？ (Where do you work?).
Why isn’t the question word moved to the front like in English?
- Mandarin keeps wh-words in place (wh-in-situ). Structure: bold 主语 + 在 + 哪儿 + 动词.
- So bold 您在哪儿工作？ literally “You at where work?” This is the default pattern for wh-questions.
Can I add bold 吗 or bold 呢 at the end?
- Don’t add bold 吗 to wh-questions: bold 您在哪儿工作吗？ is ungrammatical.
- You can add bold 呢 to soften: bold 您在哪儿工作呢？ sounds more conversational.
Is bold 您工作在哪儿 also correct? What about bold 您在哪里工作？
- Yes, both bold 您工作在哪儿？ and bold 您在哪里工作？ are natural.
- Nuance is minor: all three are common. Choice often depends on habit or region.
What’s the difference between bold 哪儿 (nǎr) and bold 哪里/哪裡 (nǎlǐ)?
- bold 哪儿: northern/Mainland style with r-coloring (儿化), common in Beijing and the north.
- bold 哪里: also standard in Mainland and common in textbooks.
- bold 哪裡: traditional characters (Taiwan/HK/Macau). Taiwan typically says bold 您在哪里/您在哪裡工作？ (no r-coloring).
How do I pronounce bold 哪儿 (nǎr)? Is bold 儿 a separate syllable?
- It’s one syllable: bold nǎr, not bold nǎ + ér. bold 儿 here is an r-suffix (儿化) that adds a retroflex “r” color.
- Tip: say bold nǎ (third tone) and slightly curl your tongue at the end to add the r-sound.
What are the tones here? Any sandhi to watch out for?
- bold 您 nín (2), bold 在 zài (4), bold 哪儿 nǎr (3), bold 工作 gōngzuò (1–4).
- No special sandhi here. Third-tone sandhi happens before another third tone, which isn’t the case.
Is bold 工作 a verb or a noun here?
- It’s a verb here: “to work.” Example answer: bold 我在医院工作.
- As a noun it means “work/job”: bold 我的工作很忙, bold 一份工作.
What’s the difference between bold 工作 and bold 上班?
- bold 工作 focuses on the activity/job itself: bold 我在家工作 (I work from home).
- bold 上班 means “be on duty/go to work” (employment/shift): bold 我在银行上班. To ask about workplace, bold 您在哪儿上班？ is also very natural.
How do I ask “Which company do you work for?” or “What do you do?”
- Company: bold 您在哪家公司工作？ (classifier bold 家 for companies).
- Job/role: bold 您做什么工作？; more formal: bold 您从事什么工作？ or bold 您做哪一行？
- Polite tip: when referring to the listener’s company respectfully, use bold 贵公司 (e.g., bold 我对贵公司很感兴趣).
Is it okay to omit bold 您 and just say bold 在哪儿工作？
- Grammatically fine and common when context is clear, but if you’re directly asking someone new, include bold 您/你 or add bold 请问: bold 请问，您在哪儿工作？
What’s the difference between bold 哪儿 (where) and bold 那儿 (there)?
- bold 哪儿 nǎr = where (third tone).
- bold 那儿 nàr = there (fourth tone).
- Minimal pair: bold 您在哪儿工作？ vs bold 您在那儿工作。
How do I answer this question naturally?
- Pattern: bold 我在 + place + 工作/上班。
- Examples: bold 我在北京工作。/ 我在一家互联网公司上班。/ 我在家工作。/ 我自由职业。