Log inSign up

wǒ chángcháng zài zǎoshang chī zǎofàn, wǎnshang zài fàndiàn chī wǎnfàn.

我wǒ　常常chángcháng　在zài　早上zǎoshang　吃chī　早饭zǎofàn，　晚上wǎnshang　在zài　饭店fàndiàn　吃chī　晚饭wǎnfàn。wǒ chángcháng zài zǎoshang chī zǎofàn, wǎnshang zài fàndiàn chī wǎnfàn.
I often eat breakfast in the morning, and eat dinner at a restaurant in the evening.
FromLesson 5inHardcore Chinese
…

Questions & Answers about wǒ chángcháng zài zǎoshang chī zǎofàn, wǎnshang zài fàndiàn chī wǎnfàn.

Do I need 在 before 早上?
  • No. Time words like 早上/晚上 don’t require 在. The most natural everyday version is: 我早上常常吃早饭.
  • Keeping 在 is possible (我在早上常常吃早饭), but it sounds a bit heavier or more formal. Most speakers drop it before broad time expressions.
  • Keep 在 before places: 我晚上在饭店吃晚饭 is perfect.
Why does 在 appear twice in the whole sentence? Is that okay?
  • The sentence has two clauses. First clause uses 在 with a time (在早上), second clause uses 在 with a place (在饭店). That’s fine across two separate clauses.
  • Within a single clause, if you have both time and place, usually only the place keeps 在: 我早上在家吃早饭 (not so much 我在早上在家吃早饭).
What’s the basic word order for time, frequency, place, verb, and object?
  • Canonical, very natural: Subject + Time + Frequency + Place + Verb + Object.
  • Examples:
    • 我早上常常在家吃早饭。
    • 早上我常常在家吃早饭。 (topicalizes time)
    • 我常常早上在家吃早饭。 (focuses a bit more on “often”) All are acceptable; fronting an element adds mild emphasis to that element.
Where exactly should 常常 go? Can it move?
  • 常常 typically sits right before the main verb phrase, after any time expression: 我早上常常在家吃早饭。
  • It can also come right after the subject: 我常常早上在家吃早饭。
  • Don’t place it after the verb: 我在家吃常常早饭 is ungrammatical.
What’s the difference between 常常, 经常, 通常, and 常?
  • 常常/经常: both mean “often.” 经常 can feel a bit more neutral/formal; 常常 is very common in speech. Either works here.
  • 常: a shorter, slightly more written-feeling version of “often.” 我常在那儿吃饭。
  • 通常: “usually” (typical pattern or norm), not just frequent. 我通常在家吃晚饭 suggests a usual habit, stronger than “often.”
Why is there no 了? Isn’t this past?
  • The sentence describes a habitual action, so no 了 is needed. 了 marks a completed event or a change of state.
  • For a single completed event: 昨天我在饭店吃了晚饭。
Is saying 早上吃早饭 redundant?
  • Slightly, yes—早饭 already implies “morning.” But adding 早上 is natural and common for rhythm or emphasis on the time of day.
  • You can simply say 我常常吃早饭, or include 早上 for clarity/emphasis.
What exactly does 饭店 mean? Restaurant or hotel?
  • Mainland China: 饭店 can mean restaurant, but it also commonly means “hotel” (especially higher-end). Context matters.
  • Taiwan: 饭店 almost always means “hotel.”
  • Safer words for “restaurant”: 餐厅, 餐馆, 饭馆/饭馆儿.
Why is the subject missing in the second part after the comma?
  • Chinese often drops repeated subjects when they’re obvious. The omitted subject is still 我.
  • The comma simply links two coordinated clauses: 我常常在早上吃早饭，(我) 晚上在饭店吃晚饭。
Can I say 我吃晚饭在饭店?
  • That’s not the usual order. Place phrases normally go before the verb: 我在饭店吃晚饭.
  • Post-verbal locations are rare and tied to special constructions; for plain “eat at a place,” put the place before the verb.
What’s the difference between 我在饭店吃晚饭 and 我在吃晚饭?
  • 我在饭店吃晚饭: 在 introduces a place. It says where you’re eating dinner.
  • 我在吃晚饭 (or 我正在吃晚饭): 在/正在 marks the progressive “be doing.” No place is expressed unless you add one: 我在饭店正在吃晚饭.
Do meals need a measure word like 顿?
  • Not in the basic pattern 吃早饭/吃晚饭.
  • To count meals or emphasize one occurrence, use 顿: 我们在饭店吃了一顿晚饭。/ 我们吃了一顿饭。
How are these pronounced? Any neutral tones?
  • 早上: zǎoshang (上 is neutral tone).
  • 晚上: wǎnshang (上 is neutral tone).
  • 常常: chángcháng (2–2).
  • 饭店: fàndiàn (4–4).
  • 早饭: zǎofàn (3–4); 晚饭: wǎnfàn (3–4); 吃: chī (1).
What’s the difference between 早上 and 上午?
  • 早上: early morning, roughly dawn to around 9-ish (flexible).
  • 上午: morning up to noon. They overlap; 早上 is more colloquial, 上午 a bit more formal or schedule-like.
  • Both are common; choose based on nuance and context.
How do I say “not often” or “rarely” here?
  • Not often: 我不常在饭店吃晚饭。
  • Rarely/very seldom: 我很少在饭店吃晚饭。
  • Usually (as a contrast): 我通常在家吃晚饭。
Can I say 吃饭店 to mean “eat at a restaurant”?
  • No. 饭店 is a place, not something you eat. Use 在 to mark the place and 饭 to mark the activity: 在饭店吃饭 or 在饭店吃晚饭.

More from this lesson

měitiānwǒmen měitiān zài xuéxiào xuéxí.dànshìwǒmen měitiān dōu hěn máng, dànshì yě hěn gāoxìng.wèishénmenǐ wèishénme hái zài gōngsī?xūyàohuíqù
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do tones work in Chinese?”
Mandarin Chinese has four main tones plus a neutral tone. The same syllable can mean completely different things depending on the tone — for example, "mā" (mother), "má" (hemp), "mǎ" (horse), and "mà" (scold). Mastering tones is essential for being understood.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Chinese

Master Chinese — from wǒ chángcháng zài zǎoshang chī zǎofàn, wǎnshang zài fàndiàn chī wǎnfàn to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Chinese freeBrowse the full course