Need help with sentence structure

[linguaholic]

Hi all

I am studying for HSK 6 and I got a question about the sentence structure in the following sentence:

我一直在经营一家酒吧。

I dont understand why it is not 我一直在一家酒吧经营。

I can also say, 我一直在BOSCH工作, but apparently 我一直在一家酒吧经营 is not possible?

Could somebody explain this to me ? would be most grateful for some explanations.

regards

Marcel

[ThatBlokeDave]

My guess here is that the 在 is acting as a "to be doing" meaning rather than "at"

So to me it sounds like I am always drinking at some bar, rather than I am always at some bar drinking.

I could be wrong though

[mouse]

It's running (经营) a bar, no? But yeah, I think it's doing 在 not locative 在.

[li3wei1]

一家酒吧 is the object of 经营.

工作 doesn't take an object.

So, as #2 says, 在 means signals location in the Bosch sentence, but in the first sentence it indicates the progressive aspect (to be doing something). But 经营 means 'manage', not 'drink'.

[sherill]

I am a Chinese teacher in Beijing. I agree with the ideas above, and would like to make a conclusion.

1. from the angle of 在

我一直在经营一家酒吧。(correct) --- I am running a bar.

"在" in this case is not "located"; it should be in function of the continuing actions like "在 + verb --- be doing". If "在" is used as "located", the example can be like "我一直在一家酒吧和朋友喝酒" （I was drinking with my friend in a bar.）

2. you can also think in another angle as below.

我一直在经营一家酒吧。(correct)

subject verb object

我 一直 在一家酒吧 经营 (wrong)

subject location verb

This sentence doesn't make sence, because it sounds like I am managning in a bar instead of managing a bar.