Place adverbs tell where an action happens. They answer questions like “Where?” or “In what direction?” and they often appear after the main verb or after the object. Many place adverbs can describe position, movement, or distance, and they can work together with prepositions to give more precise location.

Some place adverbs describe a fixed location, while others describe movement toward a location. Location answers “Where is it happening now?” while direction answers “Where to?” or “Which way?” This difference affects meaning even when the same word form is used, so pay attention to whether the verb implies movement or not.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
here	📍这里	in this place	📍在这个地方	Stay here.	📍待在这里。
there	🧭那里	in that place	🧭在那个地方	I left it there.	🧭我把它放在那里。
upstairs	🧭楼上	on a higher floor	🧭在更高的楼层	She is upstairs.	🧭她在楼上。
up	➡️上	to a higher position	➡️向上到一个更高的位置	Go up.	➡️往上走。
downstairs	⬇️楼下	on a lower floor	⬇️在较低的楼层	They live downstairs.	⬇️他们住在楼下。
down	⬇️下	to a lower position	⬇️往较低的位置	Come down.	⬇️下来。

Place adverbs most commonly go in end position: after the verb, or after the object if there is one. This placement keeps the sentence natural and helps the listener get the main action first and the location second. Front position is also possible for emphasis or topic-setting, especially in writing or storytelling.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Place adverb after the verb when there is no object	📌当没有宾语时，将地点副词放在动词之后	He walked outside.	📌他走到了外面。
Place adverb after the object when there is an object	📌有宾语时，将地点副词放在宾语之后	She put the keys here.	📌她把钥匙放在这里。
Front position to set the scene or emphasize place	📌前置位置以设定场景或强调地点	Outside, it was already dark.	📌外面，天已经黑了。
Avoid placing a simple place adverb between verb and object	📌避免在动词与宾语之间放置简单的地点副词	She put the keys here.	📌她把钥匙放在这里。

Here and there point to a location relative to the speaker or the context. Here usually means close to the speaker or the current place, and there means away from the speaker or in another place already known. They can be used for both location and direction depending on the verb.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Here often means the speaker’s place or the current place	📌这里通常指说话者的位置或当前地点	I’m staying here tonight.	📌我今晚待在这里。
There often refers to a different place already understood	📌那里通常指一个已理解的不同地点	We met there last year.	📌我们去年在那里见过。
With movement verbs, here and there can imply direction	📌用于带有移动的动词时，here和there可能暗示方向	Come here. Go there.	📌到这里来。去那里。
Here and there can replace longer location phrases when the place is clear	📌当地点明确时，here和there可替代较长的地点短语	Put it there.	📌把它放在那里。

Directional place adverbs describe movement and orientation, often answering “Where to?” or “Which way?” Common ones include up, down, in, out, away, back, and forward. They often pair naturally with motion verbs and can create compact, vivid descriptions of movement.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
up	⬆️上	toward a higher position	⬆️朝向更高的位置	The balloon went up.	⬆️气球上升。
down	⬇️下	toward a lower position	⬇️朝向较低的位置	He sat down.	⬇️他坐下了。
in	➡️进	toward the inside	➡️朝内	Come in.	➡️请进。
out	⬅️出	toward the outside	⬅️朝外	They ran out.	⬅️他们跑出去了。
away	🚶离开	to a greater distance from a place	🚶离某地更远	She moved away.	🚶她移动开了。
back	↩️回到	to a previous place or position	↩️回到之前的位置	He went back.	↩️他走回去了。
forward	⏩向前	toward the front	⏩朝向前方	Step forward.	⏩向前一步。

Distance place adverbs describe how far away something is or how far an action reaches. They do not name a specific place; instead, they describe relative distance. They commonly modify movement and position and can be strengthened or softened with words like very, quite, or too.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
nearby	📏附近	not far away	📏不远处	There’s a café nearby.	📏附近有一家咖啡馆。
close	📏靠近	at a short distance	📏在较短的距离内	Stay close.	📏保持靠近。
far	📏远	at a great distance	📏距离很远	The airport is far.	📏机场很远。
ahead	📏在前方	in front at some distance	📏前方有一定距离	A car stopped ahead.	📏前方有辆车停着。
away	📏离开	at a distance from a place	📏距离某地有一段距离	Two miles away, there’s a lake.	📏离两英里处有一个湖泊。

Some place adverbs describe parts of a building or levels, like upstairs, downstairs, indoors, and outside. Many of these are flexible: they can describe location with be and stay, or direction with movement verbs. Using them helps you avoid repeating longer phrases like “on the second floor.”

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use upstairs or downstairs for location	📌对于位置，使用 upstairs 或 downstairs	The kids are upstairs.	📌孩子们在楼上。
Use go upstairs or come downstairs for direction	📌表示方向时使用 go upstairs 或 come downstairs	Go downstairs and check.	📌往下楼查看。
Indoors and outside describe being in or out of a building or enclosed space	📌Indoors 与 outside 描述在建筑物内/外的状态	It’s warm indoors.	📌室内很温暖。
Outside can be a place adverb or a noun-like place word	📌Outside 可以作为地点副词或名词性地点词	Let’s eat outside.	📌让我们在外面吃饭。

Place adverbs can work alongside prepositional phrases, but they do different jobs. A prepositional phrase gives a specific relationship to another noun, like “in the room” or “on the table,” while a place adverb can be more general, like “there” or “outside.” When both appear, the more specific phrase usually carries the key location information.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use prepositional phrases for specific location	📌使用介词短语表示具体位置	The book is on the table.	📌这本书在桌子上。
Use place adverbs for general or context-based location	📌使用地点副词表示一般或上下文相关的位置	The book is there.	📌书在那里。
If you use both, the specific information usually comes last	📌若同时使用，具体信息通常放在末尾	We met there at the station.	📌我们在车站那里见过面。
Avoid repeating the same location idea without purpose	📌避免在没有目的的情况下重复相同的地点信息	We met at the station.	📌我们在车站见面。

When a sentence includes both place and time information, English often places the place element before the time element. This creates a natural flow: action first, then where it happened, then when it happened. The order can change for emphasis, but the common pattern is a good default in neutral statements.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Common end order is place then time	📌常见的句尾顺序是地点在前，时间在后	I saw her there yesterday.	📌我昨天在那儿见过她。
Place can move to the front to set the scene	📌为了设定场景，地点可以移到句首	There, I saw her yesterday.	📌那里，我昨天见过她。
Keep the main verb close to its object; put place after the object	📌把主要动词尽量靠近其宾语；地点放在宾语之后	He parked the car outside this morning.	📌他今天早上把车停在外面。

Place adverbs are most natural when they clearly answer “where” without interrupting the verb and its object. Use end position as your default, choose between location and direction based on the verb’s meaning, and add a prepositional phrase when you need a more precise place. With these choices, you can express place smoothly in both speaking and writing.