Learn Hardcore Chinese: xiàbān yǐhòu, tā chángcháng qù fùjìn de tǐyùguǎn jiànshēn. - After work he often goes to the nearby gym to work out.

Here 以后 means “from now on / in the future”, not “after (doing X)” the way 下班以后 does. So for “after work” as a time phrase, 下班以后 is the normal form.

Could you say just 下班，他常常去附近的体育馆健身。 and drop 以后?

You can drop 以后 in casual speech:

下班，他常常去附近的体育馆健身。

Listeners will still understand this as “When he gets off work, he often goes to the nearby gym to work out.”

However:

下班以后 is more explicit and sounds a bit more standard and clear as a time expression.
下班 alone often feels like a short clause “(when he) gets off work” and is usually followed by 以后, 就, 了, etc.

So 下班以后 is the most natural and textbook-like way to say “after work” here.

What exactly does 常常 do here? Where can it go in the sentence?

常常 means “often; frequently”. It’s an adverb that tells you how frequently something happens.

In this sentence, the core verb phrase is 去附近的体育馆健身 (“go to the nearby gym to work out”), and 常常 modifies that action:

他常常去附近的体育馆健身。
“He often goes to the nearby gym to work out.”

Common positions for 常常:

After the subject (most common):
- 他常常去附近的体育馆健身。
After a time phrase:
- 下班以后，他常常去附近的体育馆健身。
Sometimes before the subject in spoken emphasis (less common, more emotional):
- 常常他一下班就去附近的体育馆健身。

You normally do not put 常常 after the main verb:

✗ 他去常常附近的体育馆健身。 (wrong)

Why is there a 的 between 附近 and 体育馆? What is 附近的体育馆 grammatically?

的 links a modifier to a noun.

附近 = “nearby / nearby area”
体育馆 = “gymnasium / sports hall / stadium”
附近的体育馆 = literally “the gymnasium that is nearby”

Structure: [modifier] + 的 + [noun]

Here, 附近的 is an adjective-like phrase modifying 体育馆, so the whole thing is “the nearby gym”.

Without 的, 附近体育馆 sounds incomplete or like a title or name, not a normal noun phrase in a sentence. So 附近的体育馆 is the natural spoken form.

What is the difference between 附近的体育馆 and 体育馆附近?

They’re related but not interchangeable in all situations.

附近的体育馆
- Focus: the gym.
- Meaning: “the gym that is nearby / the nearby gym”.
- Functions as a noun phrase (it is the place you go to).
- Example: 我去附近的体育馆。 – “I go to the nearby gym.”
体育馆附近
- Focus: the area around the gym.
- Meaning: “near the gym / in the area near the gym”.
- Functions like a place word (“around the gym”), not a stand‑alone object.
- Example: 我住在体育馆附近。 – “I live near the gym.”

In your sentence, he is going to the gym itself, so 附近的体育馆 is the right choice.
If you wanted “He often works out near the gym (in that neighborhood)”, you’d say something like 他常常在体育馆附近健身。

Why isn’t there a 在 before 附近的体育馆? Should it be 常常在附近的体育馆健身?

Both patterns are possible, but they emphasize slightly different things.

去附近的体育馆健身 (your sentence)
- 去 = “to go (to)” – it already carries the idea of movement to the place.
- Pattern: 去 + [place] + [purpose verb]
- Meaning: “He often goes to the nearby gym to work out.”
常常在附近的体育馆健身
- 在 + place + verb states where the action happens.
- Meaning: “He often works out at the nearby gym.”

So:

With 去, you normally do 去 + [place] + (do something), without 在.
With 在, you don’t use 去, you just say 在 + [place] + [verb].

Your sentence is fine and natural as is. An equally natural variant focusing on the location (not on “going”) would be:

下班以后，他常常在附近的体育馆健身。

What is the structure 去附近的体育馆健身? Why are there two verbs 去 and 健身?

This is a very common Chinese pattern: verb of movement + place + verb of action (purpose).

去 = go (movement)
附近的体育馆 = the place
健身 = work out (the purpose of going)

So 去附近的体育馆健身 = “go to the nearby gym to work out”.

Other examples:

去图书馆看书。 – go to the library to read.
去中国旅行。 – go to China to travel.
去超市买菜。 – go to the supermarket to buy groceries.

The second verb (here 健身) expresses what you go there to do.

What is the difference between 健身, 锻炼, and 运动?

All three involve physical activity, but usage differs:

健身
- Literally “to build/maintain health/fitness”
- Strong association with working out, especially using equipment or in a gym.
- Example: 我去健身房健身。 – I go to the gym to work out.
锻炼
- Literally “to exercise / to train / to temper (oneself)”
- General “to exercise (the body/skills)”, often somewhat purposeful or disciplined.
- Example: 我每天早上锻炼身体。 – I exercise my body every morning.
运动
- As a noun: “sports”
- As a verb: “to do sports / to exercise (physically)”
- Example: 多运动对身体好。 – Doing more sports is good for your body.

In 体育馆健身, 健身 fits well because it’s what people commonly say about working out in a gym-like place.

Can you drop the subject 他 and just say 下班以后，常常去附近的体育馆健身。?

Yes, you can. Chinese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.

下班以后，常常去附近的体育馆健身。
In a conversation where you’re already talking about “him” or “me”, this would naturally be understood.

However:

In isolated sentences or in textbooks, the subject (他) is usually kept to avoid ambiguity.
In writing or formal contexts, you also tend to keep the subject more often.

So both versions are grammatically correct; including 他 just makes it clearer who you’re talking about in a standalone sentence.

How do we know this sentence refers to a habitual action and not just something in the future or past, since there’s no tense marker like 了?

Chinese doesn’t mark tense (past/present/future) the same way English does. Instead, it relies on:

Time expressions – here: 下班以后 (“after work”)
Frequency adverbs – here: 常常 (“often”)

The combination 下班以后，他常常… strongly suggests a habitual action:

a recurring time (whenever he gets off work)
a frequency word (often)

If you wanted a one-time completed event, you’d more likely see:

下班以后，他去了附近的体育馆健身。
“After work, he went to the nearby gym to work out.” (one specific time)

So the lack of aspect markers (like 了, 过, 在) plus 常常 pushes the interpretation toward a general, repeated habit.

What is the difference between 体育馆 and 健身房? Both are translated as “gym” in English sometimes.

They’re not exactly the same:

体育馆
- Literally “sports hall/stadium”
- Often a larger venue: arenas, sports centers, school sports halls, indoor stadiums.
- Can host events or many kinds of sports.
健身房
- Literally “fitness room”
- A fitness gym: treadmills, weights, machines, etc.
- What English speakers usually think of as “the gym” they have a membership at.

In everyday speech, if you mean a commercial fitness gym, 健身房 is usually more precise.

Your sentence with 体育馆 suggests he goes to a local sports center or multi-purpose gymnasium to work out; that’s still natural and common, especially in the context of cities with public sports facilities.

How should I pronounce 附近, 体育馆, and 健身 correctly? Any tone tips?

附近 – fùjìn
- 附 – 4th tone (falling)
- 近 – 4th tone (falling)
- Both are strong 4th tones: fù (sharp fall) + jìn (sharp fall).
体育馆 – tǐyùguǎn
- 体 – 3rd tone (low dipping): tǐ
- 育 – 4th tone: yù
- 馆 – 3rd tone: guǎn
- Phrase-level tone sandhi: the first of two 3rd tones often changes to a rising 2nd tone in natural speech, so you may hear it as something like tí yù guǎn, but it’s written as tǐyùguǎn.
健身 – jiànshēn
- 健 – 4th tone: jiàn
- 身 – 1st tone (high level): shēn

Remember 的 in 附近的体育馆 is neutral tone de, very light and short.