<p>Agree with @Zack. Unfortunately it seems to me there is no clear cut rule here, you'll have to learn by heart.</p>

<p>我住北京 vs 我住在北京  both are fine</p>

<p>我住城市/乡村 vs 我住在城市/乡村 first is natural, second is tiny bit less common, but just fine as well</p>

<p>我住高楼大厦 vs 我住在高楼大厦 as in the example, second sounds wrong, although everyone can understand you mean 我住在高楼大厦<strong>里</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T10:38:50.297Z
2015-07-07T10:38:50.297Z
jf328
<p>I think the difference is the focus of the sentence. I'll give an example of what I mean:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我住这里。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The natural breakdown of this in speech would be like:<code>我住 - 这里</code></p>

<p>The focus is on the action of you living here.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我住在这里。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here, the natural breakdown of the sentence is like: <code>我 - 住在 - 这里</code></p>

<p>This breakdown is a bit different. The "you" is separated by the gaps in sentence from the action of living here. I think it puts greater emphasis on the "you".</p>

<p>To go back to the original question:</p>

<pre><code>以前人们住这样的房子

现在人们住这样的房子
</code></pre>

<p>The important part of these sentences isn't the people themselves, new or old, but the fact that they live in a certain type of house. And so, I think it makes more sense to use 住 instead of 住在.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T03:50:10.233Z
I disagree with this answer. I don't feel that 我 is stressed in any way here.
Vlo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T11:06:36.780Z
I think the difference is minute, but still there.
Ringil
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T01:29:55.450Z
2015-07-07T01:29:55.450Z
Ringil
<p>I am a native Chinese speaker. We say "住这样的房子" or "住在这样的房子里". These two are both correct, and they mean the same thing. </p>

<p>"住在这样的房子" sounds wrong to me."住这样的房子里" may be correct but sounds weird.</p>

<p>As you may have already known, the time "以前" or "现在" do not affect the form of the verb.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-06T21:52:49.823Z
Hi, I have a question about English for you. Do you English speakers say "As you may have already known", "As you may know", or "As you may already know" in the above sentence? Thanks! :)
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-06T23:51:37.907Z
Yup, it sounds fine to me. (English speaker here)
Ajean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T03:25:45.647Z
@Zack Both sound fine, however if you look up NGram, 'as you (may) have already known' is extremely rare while 'as you (may) know' is quite common. The perfect tense is unnecessary for most contexts this phrase is used.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T06:33:27.713Z
"As you may have already known" isn't really used (past tense makes it sound like you knew at one stage, but don't know now.) However, "As you may know" and "As you may already know" are used. EDIT: oh, I didn't refresh so I didn't see @NS.X. already commented to this effect.
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T07:39:29.427Z
As the one who passed by and found the topic interesting I didn't find the conclusion. When would you use 在 after 住 and when not? Is there a rule for that or something?
UVV
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T14:08:14.647Z
@UVV While I personally feel that 住 is a colloquial simplification of 住在, there are situations where using one of the other sounds awkward. Examples given (aside from 我住北京, which sounds quite awkward to me, might be regional) follow this rule: 在 is like a position preposition. You want to follow it with a place, location, or a specific reference. The 在 emphasizes that location. 住 alone can also be followed by a specific location, but can also be used with a concept like 住高楼大厦 (the type of place where I live is a tall building). When you add a 里 to 住在高楼大厦里, you reference a specific location
Vlo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T21:45:54.687Z
Thanks, @Zack. I also see your English question interesting as a non-English native.
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T01:17:35.913Z
Thank you guys for answering my English question here. :)
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T01:31:20.610Z
As for rules here, I agree with jf328 that it is hard to find a clear cut rule. Although I am sure that you can always use 住 without a 里 at end. 我住北京，我住高楼大厦 ，and 我住城市 are both correct. But 住 sounds very colloquial as opposed to 住在. To use the formal 住在，you need to be careful about whether to put a 里 at the end of the sentence.
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T01:40:17.640Z
Generally when you refer to a specific place like 高楼大厦 or 一间小房子，you should put a 里 at the end. If you refer to a very large or generic place like 城市 or 北京, you don't want the 里。Again the rule for 住在 is not always correct. The rule for 住 is definitely right though.
Zack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-06T21:49:36.500Z
2015-07-06T21:49:36.500Z
Zack
<p>I have encountered the following sentences:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>以前人们住这样的房子</p>
<p>现在人们住这样的房子</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Why do these sentences NOT use <code>住在</code>? I have learned that <code>住</code> takes <code>在</code> in order to take the location noun after that.</p>
<p>Or maybe is it a chance that <code>住</code> carries completely different meanings from  <code>住在</code>, and the both are grammatically correct?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-06T17:37:19.823Z
as dictionaries e。g。iciba will show, 住在（larger geographical unit, e.g. country, city)，住（building, street address) also 家住（address)e.g. iciba:2. Florence Sephton is 77 and lives in Deganwy, North Wales.
    弗洛伦斯-塞福顿,77岁, 家住北威尔士的迪根维.
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-22T01:28:17.630Z
"larger geographical unit" can be quite small (look up iciba: 住在, e.g. 2.欧内斯特·布朗住在离骚乱发生处几个街区远的地方) also for "stay at a hotel", cf.《清网行动》 第1集，时间标记３６：０１－－－ 35:53:根据汤姆的交代３５：５６：这两个人 一个叫王霞 女性 ３５：５８：另一个人叫刘刚 男性 ３５：５９：甚高一米一３６：０１：现在两个人住在东州酒店
user6065
<verbs><preposition>
When to use 住在 and when to use just 住?
# When to use 住在 and when to use just 住?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-06)

I have encountered the following sentences:

> 以前人们住这样的房子
>
> 现在人们住这样的房子

Why do these sentences NOT use `住在`? I have learned that `住` takes `在` in order to take the location noun after that.

Or maybe is it a chance that `住` carries completely different meanings from `住在`, and the both are grammatically correct?

**Tags:** verbs, preposition

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: as dictionaries e。g。iciba will show, 住在（larger geographical unit, e.g. country, city)，住（building, street address) also 家住（address)e.g. iciba:2. Florence Sephton is 77 and lives in Deganwy, North Wales.     弗洛伦斯-塞福顿,77岁, 家住北威尔士的迪根维.  
> **username_1**: "larger geographical unit" can be quite small (look up iciba: 住在, e.g. 2.欧内斯特·布朗住在离骚乱发生处几个街区远的地方) also for "stay at a hotel", cf.《清网行动》 第1集，时间标记３６：０１－－－ 35:53:根据汤姆的交代３５：５６：这两个人 一个叫王霞 女性 ３５：５８：另一个人叫刘刚 男性 ３５：５９：甚高一米一３６：０１：现在两个人住在东州酒店  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-07-06. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

I am a native Chinese speaker. We say "住这样的房子" or "住在这样的房子里". These two are both correct, and they mean the same thing.

"住在这样的房子" sounds wrong to me."住这样的房子里" may be correct but sounds weird.

As you may have already known, the time "以前" or "现在" do not affect the form of the verb.

Hope this helps!

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Hi, I have a question about English for you. Do you English speakers say "As you may have already known", "As you may know", or "As you may already know" in the above sentence? Thanks! :)  
> **username_6**: Yup, it sounds fine to me. (English speaker here)  
> **username_7**: @username_5 Both sound fine, however if you look up NGram, 'as you (may) have already known' is extremely rare while 'as you (may) know' is quite common. The perfect tense is unnecessary for most contexts this phrase is used.  
> **username_8**: "As you may have already known" isn't really used (past tense makes it sound like you knew at one stage, but don't know now.) However, "As you may know" and "As you may already know" are used. EDIT: oh, I didn't refresh so I didn't see @NS.X. already commented to this effect.  
> **username_9**: As the one who passed by and found the topic interesting I didn't find the conclusion. When would you use 在 after 住 and when not? Is there a rule for that or something?  
> **username_4**: @username_9 While I personally feel that 住 is a colloquial simplification of 住在, there are situations where using one of the other sounds awkward. Examples given (aside from 我住北京, which sounds quite awkward to me, might be regional) follow this rule: 在 is like a position preposition. You want to follow it with a place, location, or a specific reference. The 在 emphasizes that location. 住 alone can also be followed by a specific location, but can also be used with a concept like 住高楼大厦 (the type of place where I live is a tall building). When you add a 里 to 住在高楼大厦里, you reference a specific location  
> **username_0**: Thanks, @username_5. I also see your English question interesting as a non-English native.  
> **username_5**: Thank you guys for answering my English question here. :)  
> **username_5**: As for rules here, I agree with username_2 that it is hard to find a clear cut rule. Although I am sure that you can always use 住 without a 里 at end. 我住北京，我住高楼大厦 ，and 我住城市 are both correct. But 住 sounds very colloquial as opposed to 住在. To use the formal 住在，you need to be careful about whether to put a 里 at the end of the sentence.  
> **username_5**: Generally when you refer to a specific place like 高楼大厦 or 一间小房子，you should put a 里 at the end. If you refer to a very large or generic place like 城市 or 北京, you don't want the 里。Again the rule for 住在 is not always correct. The rule for 住 is definitely right though.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-07-07. Score: 3

Agree with @username_5. Unfortunately it seems to me there is no clear cut rule here, you'll have to learn by heart.

我住北京 vs 我住在北京 both are fine

我住城市/乡村 vs 我住在城市/乡村 first is natural, second is tiny bit less common, but just fine as well

我住高楼大厦 vs 我住在高楼大厦 as in the example, second sounds wrong, although everyone can understand you mean 我住在高楼大厦**里**


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-07-07. Score: -1

I think the difference is the focus of the sentence. I'll give an example of what I mean:

> 我住这里。

The natural breakdown of this in speech would be like:`我住 - 这里`

The focus is on the action of you living here.

> 我住在这里。

Here, the natural breakdown of the sentence is like: `我 - 住在 - 这里`

This breakdown is a bit different. The "you" is separated by the gaps in sentence from the action of living here. I think it puts greater emphasis on the "you".

To go back to the original question:

```
以前人们住这样的房子

现在人们住这样的房子

```

The important part of these sentences isn't the people themselves, new or old, but the fact that they live in a certain type of house. And so, I think it makes more sense to use 住 instead of 住在.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I disagree with this answer. I don't feel that 我 is stressed in any way here.  
> **username_3**: I think the difference is minute, but still there.  

---

