# at school



## yuechu

大家好！

I was thinking of translating "at school" in the following context:
Where are you? 你在哪里？
I'm at school. (=at university) 我在学校。

I was wondering, can 在学校 typically be used in Chinese to refer to being at a university? (not just primary or high school?) In North American English, it is quite common (in English). Is it in Chinese as well? or would it be better to say 我在大学? 我在校园?

Thanks!


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## hx1997

Yes, 学校 can refer to either a university or a primary/high school.


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## yuechu

OK, thanks, hx1997! Would these also sound natural in Chinese, or less commonly said? 我在大学。 我在校园。


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## SuperXW

Hi, yuechu, 我在大学/我在校园 are less common.


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## retrogradedwithwind

我在学校里 could be more natural perhaps.


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## hx1997

I agree with the above. I think 我在大学 is used to say you're receiving university education, and not other forms of education. 
我在校园 just doesn't work.


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## SimonTsai

hx1997 said:


> 我在校园 just doesn't work.


This does work for me.

But I agree that 我在學校 is what most Mandarin natives might say.


hx1997 said:


> I think 我在大学 is used to say you're receiving university education, and not other forms of education.


I would be inclined to say, '我在讀大學'.


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## philchinamusical

In my opinion, when we say "我在学校" instead of specifying if it's primary school, highschool, or even college, academy, institute, or university... is when we assume both parties know which one it is.

So actually, the conversation in English might as well be:
Where are you?
I'm at *the* school.

If the one asking the question does not know what school the other one is referring to, usually we will reply with the detail information of where we are at now:
Where are you?
I'm at Peking University now.


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## SimonTsai

Oops! I failed to notice '*the*'.

@yuechu, since you say that you are 'at school' rather than 'at *the* school', is it correct for me to think that you are a student attending classes? If so, then '我在學校' is what I would recommend.

我在校園 simply states that you are within the campus; you are not necessarily a student there when you are saying this.

Normally, when I am at college or university, I would not say that I am at school; I would be inclined to say it only if I was at high or primary school.

But in Mandarin, such distinction seems not to exist. (我在大學 sounds bizarre in this case.)


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## Skatinginbc

A: Where are you? 你在哪兒？
B: I'm at school. 我在學校上課.
B: I'm at the school. 我在學校.


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## hx1997

When a person who knows I'm a student asks me, and I'm at school for classes:
Where are you?
I'm at school. 我在学校（上课）。

When a person who knows I'm a student asks me, and I happen to be at my school:
Where are you?
I'm at the school. 我在学校。

When a person who doesn't know I'm a student asks me, and I'm at my school (for classes or not):
Where are you?
I'm at my school. 我在我学校。

When I happen to be at a random school:
Where are you?
I'm at a school. 我在一所学校里。


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## SimonTsai

Alberta and Christina are good friends. One day, Alberta texts Christina:
*
Alberta*:
'Where are you?'
你現在在哪？

*Christina*:
'I am at school.'
我在學校，【剛下課。怎麼了嗎？】
Christina says this whilst attending classes, giving lectures, or doing any other things related to the normal function of a school.

'I am at *a* school.'
我在一所學校：【這裡風景好美，我正要傳照片給妳。】
Christina says this while she is within a campus, taking pictures or enjoying a leisurely walk, or doing any other things unrelated to the normal function of a school.

'I am at *the* school.'
我在學校：【妳要我辦的事情，我都辦好了。】
This case is similar to the previous one; the difference is that here, as @philchinamusical mentions, Alberta does know which school Christina is referring to.


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## yuechu

SimonTsai said:


> @yuechu, since you say that you are 'at school' rather than 'at *the* school', is it correct for me to think that you are a student attending classes? If so, then '我在學校' is what I would recommend.


Yes, that's right. Thanks, SimonTsai!

and thanks to everyone else for your help as well!


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