Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Chinese: nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò. - Hello, I work at the company.

Hardcore Chinese
/Lesson 2
/nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò.

nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò.

Word

您好，我　在　公司　工作。nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò.

Meaning

Hello, I work at the company.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Chinese

Lesson

Breakdown of nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò.

公司gōngsīgōngsī

工作gōngzuògōngzuò

Questions & Answers about nínhǎo,wǒ zài gōngsī gōngzuò.

Why use 您好 instead of 你好?

您好 (nínhǎo) is the polite, respectful way to say hello to elders, strangers, customers, or in formal situations.
你好 (nǐhǎo) is neutral/casual, used with peers, friends, and kids.
Overusing 您好 with close friends can sound overly formal or distant.

Can I say 您们好 to greet a group politely?

您们好 exists but is uncommon and can sound awkward.
Prefer 大家好, 各位好, or simply 你们好 for groups, even if you want to be respectful.
For very formal announcements: 各位来宾，大家好！

Is 在 here the “am doing” progressive marker?

In 我在公司工作, 在 marks location: “at the company.”
Without extra markers, Chinese often defaults to a general/habitual reading: “I work at the company.”
For a clear ongoing action, say 我在工作 or 我正在公司工作 (“I’m working at/inside the company right now”).
正在 emphasizes “right now.”

Why is it 我在公司工作 and not 我工作在公司?

Natural pattern for place complements is: Subject + 在 + place + Verb.
我在公司工作 is the standard.
我工作在公司 sounds awkward in everyday speech; you only see 工作在… occasionally in formal/literary style with abstract places (e.g., 工作在一线/基层).

您好nínhǎonínhǎo

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Chinese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Chinese now

What’s the difference between 工作 and 上班?

工作 (gōngzuò) = to work; also a noun “work/job.” Broad and general.
- Now: 我在工作 = I’m working.
- Habit: 我在公司工作 = I work at the company.
上班 (shàngbān) = to be on duty/to (go to) work on a shift or office schedule.
- 我在公司上班 = I (am employed and) work at the company.
- Time: 我九点上班 = I start work at 9.
You can say both 我在公司工作 and 我在公司上班; the latter highlights the “on-the-job” schedule aspect.

Do I need 里 after 公司?

我在公司工作 and 我在公司里工作 both work.
里/里面 adds “inside,” which can feel a bit more physical/locative; it’s often optional and can be omitted unless you need to stress “inside.”

Do I need a measure word with 公司?

When you mean “a certain company” (indefinite), use the measure word 家: 我在一家公司工作.
When the context is “my/the office,” 我在公司工作 is fine without a determiner, and often implies “at my company (office).”
To be specific: 我在这家公司工作 / 我在那家公司工作.

How do I negate this sentence correctly?

Habitual/general negation: 我不在公司工作 = I don’t work at the company (I work elsewhere / not employed there).
Negate a current state/event: 我没在公司工作 = I’m not working at the company (at this time/then).
To say you’re not physically at the office: 我不在公司 = I’m not at the office.

How do I say I work remotely or work for a foreign company?

Remote: 我在家工作/上班。
Emphasize employer (not location):
- Neutral/formal: 我为一家美国公司工作。
- Common: 我在一家美国公司工作/上班。
If you need both: 我在家为一家美国公司工作。
Avoid literal “I work for …” with 给 in formal writing; 给…工作 is colloquial and less standard than 为…工作.

Any pronunciation or tone traps here?

您 is second tone: nín, so 您好 is nín hǎo (no third-tone sandhi needed).
With 你 (third tone), 你好 is pronounced ní hǎo due to third-tone sandhi.
公司 = gōngsī (both first tone).
工作 = gōngzuò (first + fourth).
Note the different characters: 公 (in 公司) vs 工 (in 工作), same sound, different meaning.

Why are there spaces in the example? Do Chinese sentences use them?

Standard Chinese writing uses no spaces between words: 您好，我在公司工作。
Spaces in teaching materials are just to help learners see word boundaries.
Use full-width punctuation in Chinese: ， and 。 are correct here.

Is the sentence about a habitual job or about what I’m doing right now?

By default, 我在公司工作 is read as habitual: “I work at the company.”
Context or time words decide:
- Now: 现在我在公司工作 / 我正在公司工作.
- Past duration: 我在这家公司工作了三年 = I’ve worked at this company for three years.

Can I drop 我 or 工作?

In conversation, subjects and obvious verbs can be omitted if context is clear.
Q: “你在哪儿工作？” A: 在公司。 (subject and verb omitted)
Q: “你现在在做什么？” A: 在公司工作。 (subject omitted)
Full form 我在公司工作 is safest in neutral contexts.

Can 公司工作 be a noun phrase like “company work”?

As a standalone noun phrase, 公司工作 is not common for “a job at a company.”
Say 在公司工作 (to work at a company) or 公司的工作 (work of/at the company) depending on grammar needs.
For “find a job at a company,” say 找工作 or 在一家公司找工作, not 找公司工作.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io