Learn Hardcore Chinese: Wǒ de tóngxué zài xuéxiào yě xué zhōngwén. - My classmates also study Chinese at school.

我的同学
- Neutral, slightly more careful or explicit.
- Very natural in both spoken and written Chinese.
我同学
- A bit more colloquial.
- Often used when the relationship is clear and close, or when speaking quickly.

Both are correct here. For a learner, 我的同学 is the safest default.

What exactly does 同学 (tóngxué) mean? Is it only “classmate”?

Literally, 同学 is “study together” (同 together + 学 study).

Main uses:

Noun: “classmate / schoolmate”
- 我的同学 = my classmate(s) / my schoolmate(s)
  It can refer to someone in the same class, grade, or sometimes just the same school; context decides how specific it is.
Form of address (like saying “classmate” to someone)
- A teacher might say: 同学们，好！ = Hello, students!

It does not normally mean “student” in general (for that you’d say 学生 xuéshēng), but teachers often call students 同学 when addressing them as a group.

Why is there no plural marker 们 (men) on 同学? How do I say “my classmates”?

In Chinese, nouns usually don’t change form for singular vs. plural. Context tells you.

我的同学 can mean:
- my classmate (one person)
- my classmates (more than one)

If you really want to emphasize the plural, you can say:

我的同学们 (wǒ de tóngxuémen) = my classmates (clearly plural, as a group)

们 is:

Required after personal pronouns: 我们 (we), 你们 (you plural), 他们 (they).
Optional with some human nouns (like 同学们, 朋友们) to emphasize “all of you / you all / you guys”.

No 们 does not mean it’s singular; it’s simply neutral.

Why is 在 (zài) used here, and what is its function in 在学校 (zài xuéxiào)?

In this sentence, 在 is a location marker, meaning “at / in”.

Pattern here:

我的同学在学校也学中文。
= My classmate(s) at school also study Chinese.

Structure:

[subject] + 在 + [place] + [verb] + [object]
- 我的同学 (subject)
- 在学校 (location: at school)
- 也学 (also study)
- 中文 (Chinese)

Note that 在 can also be used in another way:

我在学中文。 = I am (in the middle of) studying Chinese.
Here 在 is a progressive marker, not a place word.

How to tell the difference?

在 + place + verb → location
在 + verb (no place after 在) → often progressive (“am doing”)

What does 也 (yě) mean, and where should it go in the sentence?

也 (yě) means “also / too”.

Basic rule: 也 usually comes before the main verb or adjective of the clause.

In the sentence:

我的同学在学校也学中文。
- 也 comes right before 学 (the main verb).
- Meaning: My classmate(s) also study Chinese (at school).

Important points:

You cannot put 也 at the end of the sentence the way English puts “too” at the end.
- ❌ 我的同学在学校学中文也。 (wrong)
You usually don’t put 也 directly at the very beginning of the sentence unless you are contrasting whole clauses in a more advanced structure.

For now, use:

subject + 也 + verb + object
Or, with a place:
- subject + 在 + place + 也 + verb + object (as in this sentence)

Can the word order around 在学校 and 也 be different? For example, can I say 也在学校学中文?

Yes, you can move 也 a bit, and the focus can shift slightly.

我的同学在学校也学中文。 (original)
- Usual, natural order.
- Rough focus: They also study Chinese (at school).
我的同学也在学校学中文。
- Here 也 is before 在, so it can sound more like:
- They also study Chinese at school (as opposed to only somewhere else).
- For example, maybe they also study Chinese at home, and also at school.

Both are grammatical and natural. The difference is subtle and often determined by context and emphasis in speech (stress/intonation). For a beginner, the original order is perfectly fine and very common:

[subject] 在 [place] 也 [verb] [object]

What is the difference between 学 (xué) and 学习 (xuéxí)? Could I say 也学习中文?

Both 学 and 学习 mean roughly “to study / to learn”.

学 (xué)
- Short, very common in everyday speech.
- Works fine with objects: 学中文, 学数学, 学开车.
学习 (xuéxí)
- Slightly more formal or “complete”-sounding.
- Often used in written language, school contexts, or when emphasizing the process of studying.
- Also takes objects: 学习中文, 学习历史, 努力学习.

In this sentence, you could say:

我的同学在学校也学中文。 (more colloquial)
我的同学在学校也学习中文。 (a bit more formal / “school-like”)

Both are correct and natural.

What is the difference between 中文 (zhōngwén) and 汉语 (hànyǔ)? Are they both “Chinese”?

Yes, both refer to Chinese, but with different nuances:

中文 (zhōngwén)
- Literally: Chinese writing / Chinese language.
- Can refer to the language generally (spoken + written), and often to written Chinese.
- Common in contexts like:
  - 学中文 – study Chinese
  - 中文课 – Chinese class
  - 中文书 – Chinese book
汉语 (hànyǔ)
- Literally: Han language (the language of the Han ethnic group).
- More “linguistic” / formal term for the Chinese language.
- Often used in:
  - 学汉语 – study Chinese
  - 汉语水平 – Chinese proficiency
  - 汉语老师 – Chinese (language) teacher

In a basic sentence like this, 学中文 and 学汉语 are usually interchangeable:

我的同学在学校也学中文。
我的同学在学校也学汉语。

Both would be understood as “My classmate(s) also study Chinese at school.”

How do I talk about time (past, present, future) with this sentence, since there’s no tense like in English?

Chinese verbs don’t change form for tense. You add time words and aspect markers instead.

Using your sentence as a base:

Present / general habit (original):
- 我的同学在学校也学中文。
  = My classmate(s) (generally) also study Chinese at school.
Right now / currently (progressive):
- 我的同学在学校正在学中文。
- Or: 我的同学在学校在学中文。 (colloquial)
  = My classmate(s) are currently studying Chinese at school.
Past (completed action):
- 我的同学在学校也学了中文。
  = My classmate(s) also studied Chinese at school (and that action is viewed as completed).
Future / plan:
- 我的同学在学校也要学中文。
  = My classmate(s) are going to study Chinese at school.
- 我的同学在学校也会学中文。
  = My classmate(s) will / can / are able to study Chinese at school (depending on context).

So: the verb 学 doesn’t change form; you change the time words (like 昨天, 明天, 现在) or add particles like 了, 过, and auxiliaries like 要, 会, 正在 to show time and aspect.