Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā dǎgōng de kāfēiguǎn zài shìzhōngxīn, dànshì tā zìjǐ zhù zài jiāoqū. - The café where he works part-time is downtown, but he himself lives in the suburbs.

It often implies part‑time or temporary work.
It is commonly used for students or young people earning money on the side.
It does not usually mean a stable, full‑time career job. For that, 工作 (gōngzuò) is more general.

So:

他打工 → He works (part‑time / at some job, usually not a career job).
他工作 → He works / has a job (more neutral, could be a normal full‑time job).

Why is there a 的 in 他打工的咖啡馆? What does this structure mean?

他打工的咖啡馆 is a modifier + 的 + noun structure, a very common pattern in Chinese.

Here, 他打工的 modifies 咖啡馆:

他打工的咖啡馆 literally: the café where he works (part‑time)

Pattern:

[clause / verb phrase] + 的 + [noun]
Meaning: the noun that / where / which …

Examples:

我学习的学校 → the school where I study
他住的地方 → the place where he lives

So 他打工的咖啡馆 is a compact way to say the café where he works, without needing an extra relative pronoun like that or where in English.

Is 他打工的咖啡馆 the same as 他在咖啡馆打工?

They are related but not identical in grammar and focus.

他在咖啡馆打工
- Full sentence: He works (part‑time) at a café.
- Structure: Subject + 在 + place + verb
他打工的咖啡馆
- Noun phrase: the café where he works (part‑time)
- It cannot stand alone as a full sentence; it needs something after it:
  - 他打工的咖啡馆在市中心。 → The café where he works is in the city center.

Meaningwise, they refer to the same situation, but 他打工的咖啡馆 is used when the café itself is the topic or subject you want to talk about.

Could we say 他在市中心的咖啡馆打工 instead? What is the difference?

Yes, 他在市中心的咖啡馆打工 is also correct and natural.

他打工的咖啡馆在市中心
- Focus: the café and where it is.
- Structure:
  - Subject: 他打工的咖啡馆
  - Predicate: 在市中心
他在市中心的咖啡馆打工
- Focus: him working (打工) and where he works.
- Structure:
  - Subject: 他
  - Place phrase: 在市中心的咖啡馆
  - Verb: 打工

Both describe the same reality, but the first introduces the café as the main topic, while the second introduces him working there as the main event.

Why do we say 他自己住在郊区 instead of just 他住在郊区? What does 自己 do here?

自己 (zìjǐ) means self / oneself and is used:

As a reflexive pronoun:
- 他伤到了自己。 → He hurt himself.
To add emphasis to the subject, similar to he himself / personally:
- 他自己住在郊区。 → He himself lives in the suburbs.

In this sentence, 自己 emphasizes the contrast:

His workplace is in the city center,
But he himself lives out in the suburbs.

Grammatically, 他住在郊区 is perfectly correct. Adding 自己 just adds a bit of contrast or emphasis.

Can 自己 replace 他 here? Can we say 自己住在郊区?

In this sentence as given, you need 他:

他自己住在郊区。 → He himself lives in the suburbs.

Using 自己 alone (without 他) usually requires that the subject is very clear from the previous context, and the sentence is often subordinate or shorter, for example:

他打工的咖啡馆在市中心，自己住在郊区。

This shorter version can appear in speech or informal writing, relying on context. But as a stand‑alone, clear sentence, 他自己住在郊区 is more standard.

Why is it 住在郊区 and not 在郊区住? Are both possible?

Both patterns are possible in Chinese; word order is fairly flexible with 在 + place:

Subj + 在 + place + Verb
- 他在郊区住。
Subj + Verb + 在 + place
- 他住在郊区。

With 住, the 住在 + place pattern is especially common and sounds very natural, almost like a fixed chunk:

住在北京
住在郊区

So 他住在郊区 is slightly more idiomatic than 他在郊区住, but both are grammatically fine.

What is the difference between 但是, 可是, and 不过? Could we use the others here?

All three can express but / however, and in this sentence you could also say:

…在市中心，可是他自己住在郊区。
…在市中心，不过他自己住在郊区。

Rough nuances (not strict rules):

但是: a bit more formal / neutral, very common in writing and speech.
可是: often more colloquial, can sound a bit softer or more emotional.
不过: often means however / only that / it’s just that, sometimes feels a little lighter.

In this sentence, 但是 is a solid, standard choice.

What exactly does 市中心 (shìzhōngxīn) mean? How is it different from 城市中心 or 市区?

市中心
- Common everyday term for downtown / the city center, where shops, offices, and commercial areas are concentrated.
城市中心
- Literally center of the city; more formal or descriptive, less idiomatic in daily speech for downtown but understandable.
市区
- Urban area / the part of the city that is not the suburbs or countryside.
- Contrasts with 郊区 (suburbs) or 农村 (countryside).

In this sentence, 市中心 clearly gives the idea of downtown / central business area, which contrasts nicely with 郊区.

Does 郊区 (jiāoqū) need a measure word here? Why is it just 在郊区?

郊区 can be used:

As a general area word, meaning the suburbs:
- 在郊区住 → live in the suburbs.
- No measure word needed.
As a specific administrative district, then it can take a measure word and modifiers:
- 一个郊区 → a suburban district
- 北京的郊区 → the suburbs of Beijing

In 他自己住在郊区, it’s used generically: in the suburbs, so no measure word is needed.

Could we drop the second 他 and just say …在市中心，但是自己住在郊区?

Yes, in context it’s possible, especially in informal spoken Chinese:

他打工的咖啡馆在市中心，但是自己住在郊区。

Chinese often drops pronouns when they are obvious from context. However:

Keeping 他 (但是他自己住在郊区) is clearer and more standard, especially in written texts or when the sentence stands alone.
Dropping it relies on the listener knowing that 自己 still refers to the same 他.

Why do we use 打工 instead of 工作 in this sentence? Would 他工作的咖啡馆在市中心 be wrong?

他工作的咖啡馆在市中心 is grammatically correct, but sounds more neutral/formal and less natural for a café job, depending on context.

Nuance:

打工:
- Often implies part‑time, casual, or student‑type work, often lower‑pay jobs (cafés, restaurants, etc.).
工作:
- General to work / job; can be any kind of employment, including professional careers.

For a student or young person working in a café, 打工 sounds particularly natural; it hints at the part‑time or side‑job nature of the work.