jǐngchá zài zhèlǐ.

to be at

Breakdown of jǐngchá zài zhèlǐ.

• 这里zhèlǐ: here
• 警察jǐngchá: police officer

Questions & Answers about jǐngchá zài zhèlǐ.

Why is there no 是 in this sentence?

Because this is a location sentence, not an A = B sentence.

In Mandarin:

• A 是 B is used when one thing equals or is identified as another thing.
  
  • 他是警察。 = He is a police officer.
• A 在 B is used when someone or something is located at a place.
  
  • 警察在这里。 = The police officer / police are here.

So 警察在这里 is the natural way to say that the police are at this place.

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What does 在 mean here?

Here, 在 means to be at / to be in / to be located at.

It can act like a preposition in some sentences, but in this sentence it is the main verb of location.

So the pattern is:

• Subject + 在 + Place

Examples:

• 我在家。 = I am at home.
• 老师在学校。 = The teacher is at school.
• 警察在这里。 = The police are here.

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How does the word order work in 警察 在 这里?