wǒ zài wàimiàn děng nǐ.

I am waiting for you outside.

Breakdown of wǒ zài wàimiàn děng nǐ.

• 我wǒ: I
• 你nǐ: you
• 在zài: at
• 外面wàimiàn: outside
• 等děng: to wait

Questions & Answers about wǒ zài wàimiàn děng nǐ.

What is 在 doing here—does it mean “at” or is it the progressive “be -ing”?

Here, 在 (zài) is the location coverb/preposition meaning “at/in,” introducing the place 外面 (wàimiàn). The pattern is: Subject + 在 + Place + Verb + Object.

• Location: 我在外面等你。
• Progressive (ongoing action): 我在等你。 or 我正在等你。 To show both at once, you can say: 我正在外面等你。 or 我在外面等你呢。

Can I say “我等你在外面”?

That’s unnatural in standard word order. In Chinese, the place phrase usually comes before the verb:

• Natural: 我在外面等你。
• Also possible when there’s no object: 我等在外面。 “Verb + 在 + place” (e.g., 等在门口) works, especially with posture/location verbs, but when you add an object like 你, keep the place before the verb: 在外面等你.

Do I need 在? Can I say “我外面等你”?

Use 在 to be safe and standard: 我在外面等你. Dropping 在 (e.g., 外面等你) is common in casual messages and sounds terse/informal, but for learners and formal contexts, include 在. Similarly, you’ll often see 门口等你, but the full form is 在门口等你.

How do I pronounce this naturally? Any tone changes?

• 等你 (děng nǐ) follows 3rd–3rd tone sandhi, so pronounce it déng nǐ.
• 外面 (wàimiàn) is often said with a neutral tone on the second syllable: wàimian.
• A natural full reading: Wǒ zài wàimian déng nǐ. Also note that final third tones (like 我, 你) are usually realized as a “half-third” in running speech.

What’s the difference between 外面, 外边(儿), 外头, 门口, and 门外?

• 外面 (wàimiàn): generic “outside.”
• 外边/外边儿 (wàibiān/wàibiār): same meaning; 儿 is a northern/Beijing flavor.
• 外头 (wàitou): colloquial, more northern/regional.
• 门口 (ménkǒu): “at the entrance/doorway” (right at the door).
• 门外 (ménwài): “outside the door” (just beyond the door). If you specifically mean the doorway, say 我在门口等你.

How do I add “for a bit” or a duration?

Use 一下 / 一会儿 / [duration]:

• 我在外面等你一下。
• 我在外面等你一会儿。
• 我在外面等你五分钟。 You can also drop the object: 我在外面等一下/等一会儿。

Should I add 了? Is “我在外面等你了” okay?

Don’t add 了 just to mark present tense. 我在外面等你了 sounds odd. Use 了 when you talk about a completed action with a duration or change:

• 我在外面等了你一个小时。
• 我在外面等了很久。 For “waited until…,” use 等到:
• 我在外面等到你来。
• 我在外面等到天黑。

How can I emphasize that it’s happening right now?

Add 正在 or sentence-final 呢:

• 我正在外面等你。
• 我在外面等你呢。 Both together are also fine for strong emphasis: 我正在外面等你呢。

How do I express a future intention like “I’ll wait for you outside”?

Context often suffices. To make it explicit, add 会 or a time word:

• 我会在外面等你。
• 到时候我会在外面等你。
• 明天我在外面等你。

Do I need a word for “for” after “wait”? Is 等 transitive?

Yes. 等 is transitive: 等 + person/thing. No extra preposition is needed.

• 等你, 等车, 等电话. To say “wait until,” use 等到
  • time/event: 等到你下班。

Can I omit the subject or object?

Yes, if context makes it clear.

• Omit subject: 在外面等你。 (e.g., in a text message)
• Omit object: 我在外面等。 (unspecified what you’re waiting for) Chinese often drops known elements; keep them for clarity in standalone sentences.

Is there a more formal or polite version?

Use more formal verbs or polite pronouns:

• 我在外面等待/等候您。 (您 is the polite “you”) For plural “you”: 你们 → 我在外面等你们。

Where do time and place go in the sentence?

Typical order is Time > Place > Verb (+ Object):

• 我明天在外面等你。 Avoid 我在外面明天等你. Place phrases like 在外面 normally come before the verb.

Any useful sentence-final particles to adjust tone?

• 吧 (suggestion/softening): 我在外面等你吧。
• 哦/啊 (friendly/informative): 我在外面等你哦/啊。
• 呢 (ongoing): 我在外面等你呢。

Do Chinese sentences use spaces like in the example?

No. Standard Chinese writing doesn’t use spaces between words. You’d write: 我在外面等你。 The spaces you see are for teaching segmentation.