wǒmen zài zhège yíngdì lùyíng.

The pattern is:

Subject + 在 + place + verb

So here:

• 我们 = subject, we
• 在这个营地 = location phrase, at this campsite
• 露营 = main verb, camp

A very literal breakdown is:

We + at this campsite + camp

This is a common Mandarin pattern: the place where an action happens usually comes before the main verb.

Here, 在 introduces the location of the action, so it works like at / in in English.

In this sentence, 在这个营地 means at this campsite or in this camp area.

Important point: in 我们在这个营地露营。, 在 is not the main verb. The main verb is 露营.

Compare:

• 我们在这个营地。 = We are at this campsite.
  Here, 在 is the main verb meaning to be located at.

• 我们在这个营地露营。 = We camp / are camping at this campsite.
  Here, 在 introduces where the camping happens.

Because 是 is not used for this kind of sentence.

This sentence already has a main verb: 露营.

Mandarin does not use 是 before another normal action verb the way English uses to be in we are camping.

So:

• 我们在这个营地露营。 = correct
• 我们是在这个营地露营。 = possible only in a special emphatic sense, not as the basic version
• 我们是露营。 = incorrect in normal Mandarin

So if you are saying someone does something, you usually just use the verb directly.

Because Mandarin normally uses a measure word / classifier between a demonstrative and a noun.

The structure is:

这 + 个 + 营地

• 这 = this
• 个 = classifier
• 营地 = campsite / camp

So 这个营地 is the normal way to say this campsite.

For most everyday nouns, 个 is the most common general classifier, especially in beginner-level Mandarin.

Yes. 个 is natural and common here.

Even when a noun may have a more specific classifier in some contexts, 个 is often the normal everyday choice. So 这个营地 sounds completely fine.

For a learner, this is the form you should be comfortable using.

They are different parts of speech:

• 营地 = a noun: campsite, campground, camp
• 露营 = a verb (or verbal noun): to camp, camping

So in this sentence:

• 营地 is the place
• 露营 is the action

Even though both contain 营, they are different words with different jobs in the sentence.

Yes. 露营 can absolutely be a verb on its own.

Examples:

• 我们露营。 = We camp.
• 他们喜欢露营。 = They like camping.
• 明天我们去露营。 = Tomorrow we’re going camping.

In 我们在这个营地露营。, 露营 does not need a direct object. It works like the English verb camp.

In standard Mandarin, when you say where an action happens, that location usually goes before the main verb.

So this is the natural order:

我们在这个营地露营。

The version 我们露营在这个营地 sounds unnatural in normal Mandarin.

A good beginner rule is:

• time often comes before the verb
• place often comes before the verb
• then the main action verb comes after that

By itself, it can mean any of those depending on context.

Mandarin verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do. So 露营 does not itself tell you past, present, or future.

This sentence could be understood as:

• We camp at this campsite
• We are camping at this campsite
• We will camp at this campsite

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

If you want to make the time clearer, you add time words or aspect markers:

• 我们现在在这个营地露营。 = We are camping at this campsite now.
• 明天我们在这个营地露营。 = We will camp at this campsite tomorrow.
• 我们常常在这个营地露营。 = We often camp at this campsite.

Grammatically, it is 这 + 个, so in careful pronunciation you can think of it as zhè ge.

In normal speech, though, learners often hear it as zhège, and many teaching materials write it that way as a chunk because 这个 is such a common combination.

A practical way to remember it:

• 这 keeps its fourth tone: zhè
• 个 is often light and unstressed here: ge

So in real speech, 这个 often sounds like zhège.

You can add words that show an ongoing action, such as 正在 or sentence-final 呢.

For example:

• 我们正在这个营地露营。
• 我们在这个营地露营呢。

These make the action sound more clearly in progress.

A very common learner-friendly way is:

• 我们现在在这个营地露营。 = We are camping at this campsite now.

Yes, if the subject is already understood from context.

For example, in a conversation or diary entry, you might simply say:

在这个营地露营。

But in a full standalone sentence, keeping 我们 is clearer and more natural for learners.

So:

• 我们在这个营地露营。 = full, clear sentence
• 在这个营地露营。 = possible when the subject is obvious from context