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verb phrase HSK 2
bù zài
to not be present · to be absent · to be out · to be away

Meaning

不在 combines the negation word 不 (not) with the verb 在 (to be at/in). It means someone or something is not present at a location, or a person is away or absent. This is the standard way to say someone is 'not in' or 'out' in Chinese.

Usage

Commonly used in everyday conversation when someone is looking for a person who is not currently at a location. Often heard in responses like '他不在' (He's not here) when someone calls or visits. Can also be used in the pattern '不在...而在...' meaning 'not in...but in...' to emphasize location or focus.

Examples

  1. 01
    对不起，王老师现在不在办公室。
    Duì bù qǐ, Wáng lǎo shī xiàn zài bù zài bàn gōng shì.
    Sorry, Teacher Wang is not in the office right now.
  2. 02
    你昨天去哪儿了？我找你的时候你不在家。
    Nǐ zuó tiān qù nǎr le? Wǒ zhǎo nǐ de shí hou nǐ bù zài jiā.
    Where did you go yesterday? You weren't home when I looked for you.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 不在家
    bù zài jiā
    not at home
  • 不在办公室
    bù zài bàn gōng shì
    not in the office
  • 人不在
    rén bù zài
    the person is not here
  • 不在乎
    bù zài hu
    to not care about

Antonyms

Related