Learn Hardcore Chinese: nà gè niánqīng de jìzhě zài gōngyuán lǐ wèn wǒ, wèishénme zhè lǐ de rén dōu xǐhuan sànbù. - That young reporter asked me in the park why people here all like to take walks.

You can sometimes see 那年轻记者 in very literary or poetic style, but in everyday modern Mandarin it sounds unnatural. In normal speech and writing, you need the measure word (个, or a more specific one like 位 for people).

What does 的 do after 年轻 in 年轻的记者?

的 here links a description to a noun, turning it into a modifier:

年轻的记者 = the young reporter
中国的老师 = the teacher from China
很聪明的孩子 = the very smart child

So the pattern is:

[modifier] + 的 + [noun]

In this sentence, 年轻 (young) modifies 记者 (reporter), and 的 is the glue that links the two.

Could we say 年轻记者 without 的, or is 年轻的记者 the only correct form?

Both 年轻记者 and 年轻的记者 are possible, but the feel is slightly different:

年轻记者
- Shorter, more “headline” / written style.
- Common in news titles, captions, etc.: 年轻记者获奖 (Young reporter wins prize).
年轻的记者
- Feels more neutral and natural in everyday sentences.
- Very typical in spoken Mandarin and normal prose.

In your sentence, 那个年轻的记者在公园里问我… sounds more natural in regular narrative. 那个年轻记者 is not wrong, but it leans a bit more toward compact, written style.

What exactly is 在 doing in 在公园里问我? I’ve seen 在 mean both “at” and “be doing”.

在 has two common uses:

Location marker (at / in / on)
Pattern: 在 + place
- 在公园里 = in the park
- 在家 = at home
That’s what it’s doing here: 在公园里问我 = asked me in the park.
Progressive aspect (be doing something)
Pattern: 在 + verb
- 在看书 = be reading
- 在工作 = be working

In your sentence, 在 belongs with 公园里 (the place), not with 问 (the action). So it’s “in the park”, not “was asking” in the progressive sense.

Is there any difference between 在公园 and 在公园里?

Both are acceptable in many contexts, and often mean the same thing: in/at the park.

在公园里
- Literally “inside the park”.
- Slightly more vivid: you picture being within the park area.
在公园
- A bit more general or neutral.
- Common in speech and writing too.

In most everyday sentences, you can use either. Here, 在公园里 just gives a slightly stronger feeling of being inside the park.

Why is there a 的 after 这里 in 这里的人? What does 这里的人 mean exactly?

Break it down:

这里 = here / this place
这里的 = (the) here- (something belonging to or located here)
这里的人 = the people here / the people of this place

The 的 turns 这里 into a modifier of 人:

[place] + 的 + [noun]
这里的 + 人 = the people (who are) here

You generally can’t just say 这里人 in standard Mandarin; you need 的 to connect the place phrase and the noun.

What does 都 mean in 这里的人都喜欢散步, and where does it go in the sentence?

都 means all / both / every one of them.

Here:

这里的人 = the people here
都 = all (of them)
喜欢散步 = like taking walks

So 这里的人都喜欢散步 = All the people here like taking walks.

Typical position of 都:

[subject] + 都 + [verb / verb phrase]

Examples:

他们都知道。 = They all know.
我们都很忙。 = We are all busy.

Without 都, 这里的人喜欢散步 would sound more like “people here (in general) like walking”, not as strongly “every one of them”.

Why is it just 人 and not 人们? Aren’t we talking about “people”?

In Chinese, 人 can already mean person or people depending on context:

很多人 = many people
这里的人 = the people here

人们 also means “people”, but it is:

More formal / literary
Often used when you want to talk about people in a general, somewhat abstract way (e.g. “people in society”, “people in general”).

You could say 这里的人们都喜欢散步, but in everyday modern Mandarin 这里的人都喜欢散步 sounds more natural. 人 by itself is enough to mean “people” here.

What kind of word is 散步? Is it a verb or a noun?

散步 is a verb-object compound, and in practice it behaves like a verb:

Literal parts: 散 (to scatter / to stroll) + 步 (steps)
Together: 散步 = to take a walk / to go for a walk

Usage:

我喜欢散步。 = I like taking walks.
他们在公园里散步。 = They are walking in the park.

You normally don’t treat 散步 like a regular noun (you don’t say something like “I took a 散步” the way English says “took a walk”); instead you just use 散步 directly as the verb.

Why isn’t there a 在 before 散步, like 都在散步?

在 + verb marks an action that is in progress right now.

都在散步 = (they) are all walking (right now)

But your sentence is talking about a habit / preference, not a currently ongoing action:

都喜欢散步 = (they) all like taking walks (general habit)

So:

都喜欢散步 → general preference
都在散步 → what they are doing at that moment

The reporter is asking why people here like taking walks, not why they are walking right at this moment, so 在 is not used before 散步.

Why is there a comma before 为什么 instead of quotation marks like in English?

Chinese often uses a comma to introduce what someone says or asks, without quotation marks, especially in simple sentences:

他问我，明天有没有时间。
He asked me if I have time tomorrow.
她告诉我，她已经到了。
She told me she had arrived.

Your sentence:

那年轻的记者在公园里问我，为什么这里的人都喜欢散步。

Functionally it means:

“That young reporter asked me: Why do people here all like taking walks?”

You can also write it with a colon and quotation marks:

……问我：“为什么这里的人都喜欢散步？”

Both styles are correct; the version with a comma and no quotes is very common in narrative Chinese.

Could we move 在公园里 to a different place, like 那个年轻的记者问我在公园里，为什么……?

The most natural place for a location phrase like 在公园里 is before the verb it modifies:

那个年轻的记者在公园里问我……
The young reporter asked me in the park …

If you say:

那个年轻的记者问我在公园里，为什么……

this sounds wrong or at least very awkward, because it suggests 问我在公园里 (asked me-in-the-park) as a unit, which doesn’t work grammatically.

General pattern:

[subject] + 在 + [place] + [verb] + [object]

So 在公园里 naturally goes before 问, not after 我.

Why isn’t there a 了 after 问 (as in 问了我)? Doesn’t this happen in the past?

Chinese doesn’t mark past tense the same way English does. Whether you add 了 depends on what you want to emphasize:

问我
- Simply states the action: “asked me”.
- Context (like narration about the past) can already make it clear it’s in the past.
问了我
- Focuses more on the completion of the act of asking.
- Could sound slightly more at the moment-of-event level: “(then) he asked me”.

In storytelling, it’s very common to skip 了 when the sequence of actions is already clear. Your sentence works fine without 了; adding it would not be wrong, but it’s not necessary.