<p>是 is used when a piece of information always holds true for the subject.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我是美国人。</p>
<p>I am an American.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even though the person’s nationality might change, at the time of speaking, he wants to say that his current nationality is American. Note that he also describes himself as “American”, which is a noun. Hence, A 是 B means A is B (noun).</p>
<p>在 is used to describe a continuous action.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>爸爸妈妈在喝茶。</p>
<p>Dad and Mum are drinking tea.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It shows that Dad and Mum are doing the action of drinking tea. If you said 是, then “drinking tea” would become a noun that is synonymous to “Mum and Dad”, and that makes no sense. Here, A 在 B means A is B (continuous tense of an action).</p>
<p>A similar concept in Spanish is the difference between “ser” and “estar”. Here, the “ser” is 是, and the “estar” is 在.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T15:43:32.610Z
我的家乡【是】三藩市 vs. 我的家乡【在】三藩市 --- Does replacing 是 with 在 alter their meanings at all?
MuchAppreciated25
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T15:44:31.250Z
First sentence: My hometown *is* San Francisco
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T15:45:30.913Z
Second sentence: my hometown is *at* San Francisco
Axel Tong
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T09:15:20.660Z
2020-04-29T09:15:20.660Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Axel Tong
<p>(Isn't it funny how Chinese tend to say Dad and Mum, whereas I would always say Mum and Dad?)</p>

<p>爸爸妈妈在露台上喝茶。<br>
Mum and Dad are on the patio drinking tea.</p>

<p>If you take away the location 在露台上 that leaves:</p>

<p>爸爸妈妈喝茶。<br>
Mum and Dad are drinking tea.</p>

<p>But Chinese is not so simple and straightforward， Chinese is very subtle in its nuances. You will often find 是 and 在 mixed up:</p>

<p>他们是在做什么的？<br>
What are they doing?</p>

<p>他们是在喝茶的。<br>
They're drinking tea.</p>

<p>在右边的是我的爸爸。在左边的是我的妈妈。<br>
On the right is my Dad. On the left is my Mum.</p>

<p>这一切是在星期一的晚上发生的。<br>
This all happened on Monday night.</p>

<p>If we think of 'drinking tea' or '在星期一的晚上' as locations in spacetime, then all 在 ever does is locate things, often with the help of 里 or 上。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T23:23:26.577Z
2020-04-29T23:23:26.577Z
Pedroski
<p>It depends on when you use it</p>

<p>A在 location = A is at 'location'</p>

<p>A在 verb = A is ~verb+ing
Eg: A在喝水 A is drinking water </p>

<p>A在 location + verb + object 
A is at home drinking water 
A在家喝水</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-29T15:32:51.143Z
2020-04-29T15:32:51.143Z
potatoespotato
<blockquote>
  <p>Someone said zai is location</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Yes, it can used to indicate location. For example, <a href="https://youtu.be/MVtH8pzQhI0?t=34" rel="nofollow noreferrer">在哪裡? 在哪裡? 不要隱藏你自己。</a>. If you want to reply this kind of question 在哪裡?(In where?) Then you can say 我在[some place]. Here [some place] is a place you are there. For example 我在廁所, 我在這. So you know 在 is used to indicate location.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Mum and Dad are drinking tea."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(媽和爸在喝茶)</p>

<p>在 can also be used to indicate the action which being done continuously. Use 在[something]. Here [something] is the things which being done. So 媽和爸在喝茶(媽和爸在[something], Where [something] is 喝茶). So 喝茶 was the thing which being done.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What is the difference between 是 and 在?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>是 is used to indicate somethings is true. You can use [thing]是[other thing], where 是 is used to indicate that [thing] is [other thing]. For example 我是人.(I am human.)([thing]是[other thing], where [thing] is 我, [other thing] is 人). 是 is used to indicate that 我 is 人. 這裡是哪裡([thing]是[other thing], where [thing] is 這裡, [other thing] is 哪裡) 是 is used to indicate that 這裡 is 哪裡. Since 哪裡 is used to ask where and 這裡 have the effect of 是. So 哪裡 is used to ask the location of 這裡(here).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-30T09:37:41.880Z
2020-04-30T09:37:41.880Z
000
<p>Sentence structure usually doesn't translate perfectly between languages. 「在」 should not be translated into English as <em>is/are/am</em>, but usually only one of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><em>at</em></li>
<li><em>in</em></li>
<li><em>in a state of</em>, or the suffix <em>-ing</em> expressing <em>in the midst of doing an action</em></li>
</ul>
<p>In the sentence</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mum and Dad <code>are</code> drinking tea.</p>
<p>媽媽和爸爸在喝茶。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>the word <code>are</code> is omitted in idiomatic Chinese. A word-by-word translation of the Chinese is</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mum and Dad drinking tea.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>To see this in steps, first take the original sentence</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mum and Dad are drinking tea.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and re-express it as</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mum and Dad are in a <em>drink tea</em> state.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Rearrange it slightly to get</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mum and dad are in a state of <em>drink tea</em>.</p>
<p>媽媽 (Mum) 和 (and) 爸爸 (dad) 是 (are) 在 (in a state of) 喝 (drink) 茶 (tea)。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Chinese usually omits 是 (<em>is/are/am</em>) when describing a state of action, so</p>
<blockquote>
<p>媽媽 (Mum) 和 (and) 爸爸 (dad) <s>是 (are)</s> 在 (in a state of) 喝 (drink) 茶 (tea)。</p>
<p>媽媽和爸爸在喝茶。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T00:37:26.127Z
2020-05-07T00:37:26.127Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
dROOOze
<p>是 is used to indicate a passive state. Drinking tea isn't a passive state, so 是 isn't appropropriate here.</p>

<p>在 is used to indicate a time or location.</p>

<p>When 在 is placed before the verb phrase "to drink tea", 在 takes on the role of the main verb while 喝茶 becomes a time phrase and the sentence's predicate which yields the meaning "Mum and dad <strong>at some relevant time</strong> drink tea." with a better translation of "Mum and dad <strong>are</strong> drinking tea."</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-06T00:02:57.427Z
2020-05-06T00:08:19.433Z
2020-05-06T00:08:19.433Z
Patrick Dark
<p>I don't really understand the difference. Someone said zai is location, but it is used also in the sentence "Mum and Dad are drinking tea."</p>

<difference><verbs>
What is the difference between 是 and 在?
# What is the difference between 是 and 在?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-29)

I don't really understand the difference. Someone said zai is location, but it is used also in the sentence "Mum and Dad are drinking tea."

**Tags:** difference, verbs

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-04-29. Score: 4

是 is used when a piece of information always holds true for the subject.

> 我是美国人。
>
> I am an American.

Even though the person’s nationality might change, at the time of speaking, he wants to say that his current nationality is American. Note that he also describes himself as “American”, which is a noun. Hence, A 是 B means A is B (noun).

在 is used to describe a continuous action.

> 爸爸妈妈在喝茶。
>
> Dad and Mum are drinking tea.

It shows that Dad and Mum are doing the action of drinking tea. If you said 是, then “drinking tea” would become a noun that is synonymous to “Mum and Dad”, and that makes no sense. Here, A 在 B means A is B (continuous tense of an action).

A similar concept in Spanish is the difference between “ser” and “estar”. Here, the “ser” is 是, and the “estar” is 在.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: 我的家乡【是】三藩市 vs. 我的家乡【在】三藩市 --- Does replacing 是 with 在 alter their meanings at all?  
> **username_1**: First sentence: My hometown *is* San Francisco  
> **username_1**: Second sentence: my hometown is *at* San Francisco  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-04-29. Score: 2

(Isn't it funny how Chinese tend to say Dad and Mum, whereas I would always say Mum and Dad?)

爸爸妈妈在露台上喝茶。  
Mum and Dad are on the patio drinking tea.

If you take away the location 在露台上 that leaves:

爸爸妈妈喝茶。  
Mum and Dad are drinking tea.

But Chinese is not so simple and straightforward， Chinese is very subtle in its nuances. You will often find 是 and 在 mixed up:

他们是在做什么的？  
What are they doing?

他们是在喝茶的。  
They're drinking tea.

在右边的是我的爸爸。在左边的是我的妈妈。  
On the right is my Dad. On the left is my Mum.

这一切是在星期一的晚上发生的。  
This all happened on Monday night.

If we think of 'drinking tea' or '在星期一的晚上' as locations in spacetime, then all 在 ever does is locate things, often with the help of 里 or 上。


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-04-29. Score: 2

It depends on when you use it

A在 location = A is at 'location'

A在 verb = A is ~verb+ing
Eg: A在喝水 A is drinking water

A在 location + verb + object
A is at home drinking water
A在家喝水


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-04-30. Score: 1

> Someone said zai is location

Yes, it can used to indicate location. For example, [在哪裡? 在哪裡? 不要隱藏你自己。](https://youtu.be/MVtH8pzQhI0?t=34). If you want to reply this kind of question 在哪裡?(In where?) Then you can say 我在[some place]. Here [some place] is a place you are there. For example 我在廁所, 我在這. So you know 在 is used to indicate location.

> "Mum and Dad are drinking tea."

(媽和爸在喝茶)

在 can also be used to indicate the action which being done continuously. Use 在[something]. Here [something] is the things which being done. So 媽和爸在喝茶(媽和爸在[something], Where [something] is 喝茶). So 喝茶 was the thing which being done.

> What is the difference between 是 and 在?

是 is used to indicate somethings is true. You can use [thing]是[other thing], where 是 is used to indicate that [thing] is [other thing]. For example 我是人.(I am human.)([thing]是[other thing], where [thing] is 我, [other thing] is 人). 是 is used to indicate that 我 is 人. 這裡是哪裡([thing]是[other thing], where [thing] is 這裡, [other thing] is 哪裡) 是 is used to indicate that 這裡 is 哪裡. Since 哪裡 is used to ask where and 這裡 have the effect of 是. So 哪裡 is used to ask the location of 這裡(here).


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-05-07. Score: 0

Sentence structure usually doesn't translate perfectly between languages. 「在」 should not be translated into English as *is/are/am*, but usually only one of the following:

* *at*
* *in*
* *in a state of*, or the suffix *-ing* expressing *in the midst of doing an action*

In the sentence

> Mum and Dad `are` drinking tea.
>
> 媽媽和爸爸在喝茶。

the word `are` is omitted in idiomatic Chinese. A word-by-word translation of the Chinese is

> Mum and Dad drinking tea.

---

To see this in steps, first take the original sentence

> Mum and Dad are drinking tea.

and re-express it as

> Mum and Dad are in a *drink tea* state.

Rearrange it slightly to get

> Mum and dad are in a state of *drink tea*.
>
> 媽媽 (Mum) 和 (and) 爸爸 (dad) 是 (are) 在 (in a state of) 喝 (drink) 茶 (tea)。

Chinese usually omits 是 (*is/are/am*) when describing a state of action, so

> 媽媽 (Mum) 和 (and) 爸爸 (dad) ~~是 (are)~~ 在 (in a state of) 喝 (drink) 茶 (tea)。
>
> 媽媽和爸爸在喝茶。


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2020-05-06. Score: 0

是 is used to indicate a passive state. Drinking tea isn't a passive state, so 是 isn't appropropriate here.

在 is used to indicate a time or location.

When 在 is placed before the verb phrase "to drink tea", 在 takes on the role of the main verb while 喝茶 becomes a time phrase and the sentence's predicate which yields the meaning "Mum and dad **at some relevant time** drink tea." with a better translation of "Mum and dad **are** drinking tea."


---

