Explaining Damage to a Borrowed Bag | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我需要告诉你一件关于我借的包的事。

   I need to tell you something about the bag I borrowed.

   我需要

   I need

   告诉

   tell

   你

   you

   一件

   one item; one (classifier phrase)

   关于

   about; concerning

   我借的

   that I borrowed

   包

   bag

   事

   matter; thing

   More detail

   我需要 means “I need.” 需要 is the verb “to need” and is followed here by the action that is needed. A reusable pattern is 我需要 + verb phrase: “I need to …”. 我 is the first-person pronoun “I”; it does not change for grammatical gender or number. 告诉 means “to tell” or “to inform.” It commonly introduces the person being told before the information: 告诉 + person + information, as in 告诉他真相 — “tell him the truth.” 你 is the second-person pronoun “you.” Here it is the person who will receive the information. Mandarin pronouns do not change for the addressee’s gender in this form. 一件 consists of 一 “one” and the classifier 件. By itself, it does not mean “a matter” or “something”; the noun 事 supplies that meaning in 一件事. 件 is commonly used with matters, events, and some other bounded items. The fixed sentence explicitly presents one matter, rendered naturally as “something.” 关于 means “about” or “concerning.” It introduces the topic of the following noun phrase: 关于 + topic, as in 关于这件事 — “about this matter.” 我借的 is a relative-clause structure: 我借 means “I borrowed” in the intended meaning here, and 的 turns that clause into a modifier. It modifies the noun that follows, so 我借的包 means “the bag that I borrowed.” 借 is the verb “to borrow”; its form does not mark past tense by itself. The completed-event reading here comes from the fixed meaning, not from a past-tense ending on 借. 包 means “bag.” It is the noun modified by 我借的. A reusable pattern is verb phrase + 的 + noun, such as 我买的书 — “the book that I bought.” 事 means “matter,” “thing,” or “affair.” In 一件事, it is the noun classified by 件, referring here to the matter the speaker needs to communicate. 关于我借的包 specifies that matter’s topic. Together, 我需要告诉你 means “I need to tell you,” 一件事 means “one matter” or, naturally here, “something,” and 关于我借的包 means “about the bag I borrowed.” The whole utterance is therefore: “I need to tell you something about the bag I borrowed.”

2. 你旅行的时候它出什么问题了吗？

   Did something happen to it during your trip?

   你

   you

   旅行

   travel

   的时候

   when; during

   它

   it

   出什么问题

   have a problem; go wrong

   了吗

   did ...?

   More detail

   你 means “you.” Chinese 你 does not change for person, number, or gender in this form; the context determines who is being addressed. 旅行 means “to travel” here. It can also be used as a noun meaning “travel,” but in 你旅行的时候 it describes the activity taking place during the relevant time. Example: 我喜欢旅行。— “I like traveling.” 的时候 is a reusable time pattern meaning “when” or “during the time that.” A clause or noun phrase before it identifies the time: 你旅行的时候 = “when you traveled” or, naturally here, “during your trip.” Example: 我工作的时候不听音乐。— “I don’t listen to music while I work.” 它 means “it” here and, with the supplied context and translation, refers to the borrowed bag. It is the nonhuman third-person pronoun in this sentence. The form 它 does not mark grammatical gender; for a plural nonhuman referent, Chinese commonly uses 它们, while 它 is the singular form observed here. 出什么问题 is a compact pattern meaning “have what problem” or “go wrong in what way.” 出问题 means that a problem occurs; 什么 leaves the specific problem unknown. This question asks generally whether anything went wrong. Example: 电脑出什么问题了？— “What problem did the computer develop?” 了吗 combines sentence-final 了 and 吗. Here, 了 presents the possible problem as an occurrence in the relevant situation, while 吗 turns the sentence into a yes-or-no question. Chinese 了 does not by itself equal a general past-tense ending; the time phrase 你旅行的时候 supplies the relevant period. Compare: 出问题了吗？— “Did something go wrong?” Together, 你旅行的时候 sets the time, 它 identifies the affected item, and 出什么问题 asks whether any problem occurred to it. With 了吗, the whole utterance means “Did something happen to it during your trip?”

3. 拉链卡住了，而且有一部分松开了。

   The zipper got stuck, and part of it came loose.

   拉链

   zipper

   卡住了

   got stuck

   而且

   and also

   有一部分

   part of it

   松开了

   came loose

   More detail

   拉链 means “zipper” here. It is a noun and can be reused in statements such as 拉链坏了。 — “The zipper is broken.” 卡住了 says that something became unable to move because it was caught or jammed. The base verb is 卡; 住 is a result complement showing that the stuck state was reached, and 了 presents the change as having occurred. Example: 门卡住了。 — “The door got stuck.” 而且 links an additional related fact: “and also” or “moreover.” Example: 他迟到了，而且忘了带钥匙。 — “He was late, and he also forgot to bring the key.” 有一部分 means “there is a part” or, with the surrounding context, “part of it.” 有 presents something as existing or being present. 一部分 is a noun phrase meaning “a part” or “some portion of a whole”; 部分 is the noun, not a measure word. Example: 有一部分已经干了。 — “Part of it has already dried.” 松开了 means “came loose” here. 松开 expresses loosening or becoming released: 松 contributes the idea of loosening, while 开 indicates separation or release from a fastened state. 了 presents the resulting change as having occurred. Example: 绳子松开了。 — “The rope came loose.” 松开 can also be used transitively when someone loosens or releases something, while 解开 is commonly used for undoing or untying something. Together, 拉链卡住了 says that the zipper became stuck. 而且 adds another related event, and 有一部分松开了 says that part of it came loose. The full utterance therefore means: “The zipper got stuck, and part of it came loose.”

4. 拉链之前就坏了吗？

   Was the zipper already damaged?

   拉链

   zipper

   之前

   beforehand

   就

   already by then

   坏

   be broken; be damaged

   了吗

   asks whether this is the case

   More detail

   拉链 means “zipper,” the noun naming the object being discussed. Chinese nouns generally do not change form for singular versus plural. Example: 拉链坏了。 — “The zipper is broken.” 之前 places the relevant time before a reference point: “before that” or “earlier.” Here, it asks whether the zipper was damaged before the relevant later time. A useful contrast is 之后 — “afterward.” Example: 之前它还能用。 — “Before that, it could still be used.” 就 emphasizes that the condition was already true by that time, often giving the sense “already” or “as early as then.” Here it combines with 之前 to ask whether the zipper was already damaged before the relevant later event. It does not always mean “already.” Example: 他八点就到了。 — “He arrived as early as eight o’clock.” 坏 means “be broken” or “be damaged” here. It is the lexical predicate in this utterance; 坏了 adds 了 after it. With a state predicate such as 坏, 了 can mark that the state has come about. Example: 电脑坏了。 — “The computer broke / is broken.” 了吗 contains 了 followed by the yes-or-no question particle 吗. In 坏了吗, 了 presents the damaged state as having occurred or become true, while 吗 asks whether that is the case. Example: 门关了吗？ — “Is the door closed?” Together, 拉链 identifies the object, 之前 sets an earlier reference time, 就 emphasizes that the condition may already have held by then, and 坏了吗 asks whether the zipper had become damaged. The whole utterance means: “Was the zipper already damaged?”

5. 还是你用的时候它才坏的？

   Or did it break while you were using it?

   还是

   or

   你

   you

   用

   use

   的时候

   when; during the time

   它

   it

   才

   only then; not until then

   坏

   break; become damaged

   More detail

   “还是” introduces an alternative question here: “or…?” It connects this possibility with the preceding question, rather than meaning “still” in this sentence. “你” means “you.” Chinese pronouns do not change form for singular versus plural, so the form alone does not specify how many people are addressed. “用” is the basic verb “to use.” The object can be left unspoken when it is clear from the situation. Example: “我用手机。” means “I use a phone.” “用的时候” uses the pattern verb + 的时候 (“when/during the time that…”). Thus, “用的时候” means “when you were using [it].” Example: “吃饭的时候不要说话。” means “Don’t talk while eating.” “它” is a third-person pronoun for a non-human or inanimate referent. It does not mark gender or number. Here, the intended referent is the object under discussion, supported by the preceding mention of the zipper; the pronoun itself does not identify that referent independently. “才” before the event predicate marks a restricted or relatively late point: the breaking happened only under that condition, not earlier. Compare “他十点才到。”—“He did not arrive until ten.” This is different from “就,” which commonly presents an event as happening early or promptly. “坏” means “to become broken” or “to be damaged” in this context. It is a predicate in Chinese and does not change for person or number. Example: “这个拉链坏了。” means “This zipper broke/is broken.” The final “的” gives the question a colloquial event-description or emphasis pattern, highlighting the circumstances of the event. In “你用的时候它才坏的,” the time condition “when you were using it” is presented as the relevant circumstance of the breaking. Together, “你用的时候” sets the time condition, “它才坏” says that the object broke only at that point, and “还是” asks whether this was the alternative to the possibility already being discussed. The whole utterance means: “Or did it break while you were using it?”

6. 之前看起来没问题，所以我想承担责任。

   It seemed fine before, so I want to take responsibility.

   之前

   before; previously

   看起来

   seem; look

   没问题

   be fine; have no problem

   所以

   so; therefore

   我想

   I want to...

   承担责任

   take responsibility

   More detail

   之前 means “before” or “previously.” Here it places the situation at an earlier time: 之前 + 看起来没问题 means “previously, it seemed fine.” It can also modify a specific event, as in 我之前见过他 (“I had seen him before”). 看起来 is a reusable way to say that something appears or seems a certain way. The pattern 看起来 + description corresponds to “seem/look + description,” as in 这个办法看起来很简单 (“This method looks simple”). In this sentence, the subject of the appearance is understood from context; the form itself does not identify a particular noun. 没问题 is a compact expression meaning “be fine” or “have no problem.” 没 places the situation in the negative: 有问题 is “have a problem,” while 没问题 is “have no problem” or, naturally here, “be fine.” Example: 现在没问题了 means “There is no problem now.” 所以 means “so” or “therefore.” It connects a reason or earlier situation to the result that follows. The pattern 因为 A，所以 B is “because A, so B”; in this utterance, the reason is stated without 因为, and 所以 introduces the speaker’s conclusion or decision. 我想 combines 我, “I,” with 想, “want” or “intend.” Before another verb phrase, 想 + verb expresses what the speaker wants or plans to do: 我想休息 means “I want to rest.” Here 我想 does not mean “I think”; that meaning is commonly expressed with 我觉得 or 我认为 instead. 承担责任 means “take responsibility.” 承担 is the verb “undertake, bear, or assume,” and 责任 is the noun “responsibility.” The combination 承担责任 is a standard verb–noun construction. Example: 他愿意承担责任 means “He is willing to take responsibility.” Together, 之前看起来没问题 says that the situation seemed fine earlier. 所以 links that earlier assessment to the speaker’s present decision, 我想承担责任, “I want to take responsibility.” The complete utterance therefore means: “It seemed fine before, so I want to take responsibility.”

7. 谢谢你诚实地告诉我。它可能还可以修好。

   I appreciate your honesty. It may still be repairable.

   谢谢你

   thank you

   诚实地

   honestly

   告诉

   tell

   我

   me

   它

   it

   可能

   may; possibly

   还

   still

   可以

   can; be possible

   修好

   repair successfully

   More detail

   谢谢你 is a reusable way to thank someone: 谢谢 means “to thank,” and 你 is the person being thanked. In this sentence, it thanks the addressee for the information that follows. Example: 谢谢你的帮助。 — “Thank you for your help.” 诚实地 means “honestly” here. The ending -地 turns the adjective 诚实 (“honest”) into an adverbial description of how an action is performed. The word describes 告诉, not the speaker’s general personality. Example: 请诚实地回答。 — “Please answer honestly.” 告诉 is the verb “to tell” or “to inform.” Its reusable pattern is 告诉 + person + information: 告诉我 means “tell me.” Chinese does not change this verb for person or tense; time is understood from context or expressed with other words. Example: 请告诉我答案。 — “Please tell me the answer.” 我 means “me” in 告诉我, the person receiving the information. In Chinese, 我 is also the subject form “I”; its form does not change for subject versus object position. Here it is the object of 告诉, not the person doing the telling. 它 is the third-person pronoun “it,” used here for the item under discussion. Its specific referent is supported by the surrounding repair context, but the pronoun itself does not identify the item by name. 它 does not change for grammatical gender or number in this use. 可能 means “may” or “possibly,” expressing possibility rather than certainty. It comes before the following possibility or action. Example: 他可能会来。 — “He may come.” 还 means “still” here: the possibility remains at this point. It commonly appears before the verb or verb phrase it modifies, as in 还可以 (“can still” / “is still possible”). Example: 现在还来得及。 — “It is still in time now.” 可以 expresses possibility or feasibility: “can” or “be possible.” In 还可以修好, it says that successful repair remains feasible; it does not by itself say that the repair has happened. Example: 这个问题可以解决。 — “This problem can be solved.” 修好 is the resultative verb compound 修 (“repair”) + 好 (“well; successfully”), meaning “repair successfully” or “fix.” The second element gives the result of the repair, unlike plain 修, which only describes doing repair work. With 它 as the subject, 它可以修好 is understood here as “it can be repaired successfully.” Example: 我把门修好了。 — “I fixed the door.” Together, 谢谢你诚实地告诉我 means “I appreciate your honesty” in the fixed translation: literally, the speaker thanks the addressee for honestly telling the speaker something. 它可能还可以修好 means “It may still be repairable”: 可能 marks uncertainty, 还 keeps the possibility open, and 可以修好 describes successful repair as feasible. The full utterance therefore thanks the person for the honest information and says that the item may still be fixable.

8. 如果需要，我可以安排维修，或者换一个包。

   I can arrange the repair or replace the bag if needed.

   如果需要

   if needed

   我可以

   I can

   安排

   arrange

   维修

   repair; repair service

   换

   change; replace

   包

   bag

   More detail

   如果需要 means “if needed.” 如果 introduces a condition, and 需要 is the verb “need.” No subject is stated in this conditional phrase; the relevant situation is understood from context. A reusable pattern is 如果 + condition: 如果下雨，我们就不走。 — “If it rains, we won’t leave.” 我可以 means “I can.” 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I,” and 可以 is a modal verb that can express ability or permission. Here it presents the speaker as able to carry out the following option. 我可以帮忙。 — “I can help.” 安排 means “arrange.” It commonly takes a service, event, or practical action as its object. Here 安排维修 means “arrange the repair,” without claiming that the speaker will personally perform the repair. 安排时间 means “arrange a time,” showing the reusable pattern 安排 + object. 维修 means “repair” or “repair service” here. In other contexts it can also be used as a verb, but after 安排 it refers to the repair work or service being organized. 维修设备 — “repair equipment.” 或者 means “or” and links alternatives. Here it connects arranging a repair with replacing the bag. 换 means “change” or “replace.” In 换一个包, it expresses replacing the bag in the intended situation. 我想换手机。 — “I want to replace my phone.” 包 means “bag.” In the source it appears in 一个包. 一 + classifier + noun can mark a singular noun phrase meaning “a” or “one,” depending on context; it does not always assert that the number is being emphasized. Here the fixed translation selects “the bag” as the intended referent. 这是我的包。 — “This is my bag.” Together, 如果需要 sets the condition “if needed.” 我可以安排维修 offers to arrange the repair, and 或者换一个包 adds the alternative of replacing the bag. 或者 links the two options. The whole utterance means: “I can arrange the repair or replace the bag if needed.”

9. 我们先把它拿到修理店，再做决定吧。

   Let's take it to a repair shop before deciding.

   我们

   we; us

   先

   first

   拿到

   take to

   修理店

   repair shop

   再

   then

   做决定

   make a decision

   吧

   suggestion softener

   More detail

   我们 means “we/us” here: the speaker proposes a shared action, matching “let’s” in the translation. Mandarin 我们 does not itself grammatically mark whether the addressee is included, but this proposal context supports including the addressee. Example: 我们走吧。 — “Let’s go.” 先 means “first” and marks the earlier step in an ordered sequence. The highly reusable pattern 先 A，再 B means “first A, then B.” Example: 先看看，再决定。 — “Let’s take a look first, then decide.” 拿到 combines the verb 拿 (“take/carry”) with 到 (“to; reaching a destination”). In this sentence, the compound means taking something to a destination, rather than merely obtaining it. The destination is supplied by the following 修理店. Example: 把文件拿到办公室。 — “Take the documents to the office.” 修理店 is a noun meaning “repair shop.” 修理 means “repair,” and 店 means “shop/store”; together they name a shop where things are repaired. Example: 这家修理店很近。 — “This repair shop is very close.” 再 means “then” or “after that” in the sequence 先 A，再 B. It places its action after the action marked by 先; it is not the same as 又, which commonly means “again” or “also.” 做决定 is the reusable verb-noun combination “make a decision.” 做 broadly means “do/make,” while 决定 here is the noun “decision.” Example: 我们明天再做决定。 — “We’ll make the decision tomorrow.” 吧 softens the utterance into a suggestion or proposal. At the end of this sentence, it helps make “first take it to a repair shop, then decide” sound like a jointly proposed plan rather than a bare command. The full structure is 我们先把它拿到修理店，再做决定吧: 把它 places “it” as the object being handled, 拿到修理店 says to take it to the repair shop, and 先……再…… orders that action before making a decision. Thus the whole utterance means, “Let’s take it to a repair shop before deciding.”

10. 对不起，事情发生后我没有马上告诉你。

    I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as it happened.

    对不起

    I'm sorry

    事情

    matter; thing

    发生

    happen

    后

    after

    我

    I; me

    没有

    did not

    马上

    immediately

    告诉

    tell

    你

    you

    More detail

    对不起 is a standard apology. It can stand alone or introduce an apology for an action: 对不起，我迟到了。—“Sorry, I’m late.” 事情 means “the matter” or “thing” here. It is a general noun for an event or situation, not a specific object. Example: 这件事情很重要。—“This matter is important.” 发生 means “happen” or “occur.” Its base form does not change for person or time. In 事情发生, 事情 is the event that happens. Example: 什么发生了？—“What happened?” 后 means “after” when it follows an event or time expression. 事情发生后 is the reusable pattern “after [an event] happened”: 会议结束后我们回家。—“We went home after the meeting ended.” Here, 后 makes the preceding event phrase a time condition; it does not itself mean that the event was caused by something afterward. 我 is the first-person pronoun “I” or “me.” Chinese pronouns do not change form for subject versus object in the way English pronouns do. In this sentence, 我 is the person who did not tell someone. 没有 before an action verb marks that the action did not occur, commonly for a completed or expected action. Chinese verbs do not take a past-tense ending, so 没有告诉 expresses “did not tell.” Compare 我告诉你了—“I told you”—with 我没有告诉你—“I did not tell you.” 马上 means “immediately” or “right away.” It modifies the following action, so 马上告诉 means “tell [someone] right away.” Example: 我马上回来。—“I’ll be right back.” 告诉 means “tell” or “inform.” A common pattern is 告诉 + person + information, as in 告诉我答案。—“Tell me the answer.” In the fixed sentence, the information is understood from context and 你 identifies the person being told. 你 is the second-person pronoun “you.” It is the recipient of 告诉 here. The form does not change for object position; plural “you” can be expressed with 你们 when that meaning is intended. Together, 事情发生后 means “after it happened” or, more literally, “after the matter happened.” 我没有马上告诉你 means “I did not tell you right away.” With 对不起 at the beginning, the complete utterance is: “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you as soon as it happened.”

11. 你现在提起这件事已经很有帮助了。我们看看他们怎么说。

    You brought it up now, and that helps. We'll see what they say.

    你

    you

    现在

    now

    提起

    bring up; mention

    这

    this

    事

    matter; affair

    已经

    already

    很有帮助

    very helpful

    我们

    we; us

    看看

    take a look; see

    他们

    they; them

    怎么说

    what they say

    More detail

    你 means “you” here, the person being addressed. In Mandarin, this pronoun does not mark gender or number; a plural “you” can be made explicit with 你们 when needed. 现在 means “now,” locating the situation at the present time. It can also appear at the beginning of a sentence as a time phrase: 现在开始。 — “We’ll start now.” 提起 means “bring up” or “mention” a topic. It is a useful verb for introducing a subject into conversation: 别提起那件事。 — “Don’t bring up that matter.” Here 提起 is the verb in 你提起这件事; the form does not change for person or time. 这 means “this” and points to something relatively close in the discourse or situation. In 这件事, it functions with the following noun phrase; 件 is the classifier used with 事 in this expression. The demonstrative itself does not identify a person or object by gender. 事 is a noun meaning “matter,” “affair,” or “thing that happened.” 这件事 means “this matter/this thing.” This is different from 事情, another common noun for “matter” or “situation”; 事 is especially common in compact compounds such as 这件事. 已经 means “already,” showing that the event or state has been reached by the relevant time. In 已经提起, it presents the bringing-up of the matter as having happened by now. A common contrast is 还 “still/not yet,” as in 我还没提起这件事。 — “I haven’t brought up this matter yet.” 很有帮助 means “very helpful” here. 有帮助 literally expresses having a helpful effect, and 很 modifies the adjective-like predicate 有帮助. The phrase does not assert that the subject is a person; an action or piece of information can also be helpful, as in 这个建议很有帮助。 — “This suggestion is very helpful.” 我们 means “we” or “us,” the first-person plural pronoun. Mandarin does not require a separate inclusive/exclusive form here, so the exact membership of “we” comes from context rather than from the pronoun itself. 看看 is the reduplicated form of 看 “look/see.” With a verb such as 看, reduplication commonly presents a brief, light, or tentative action. In 我们看看, it gives the reusable pattern 我们 + verb-reduplication, naturally rendered “let’s see” or “let’s take a look.” 他们 means “they” or “them,” a third-person plural pronoun. Its grammatical role here is the subject of 说; the sentence does not require the listener to be one of the people included in 他们. 怎么说 means “what they say” in this context, with 怎么 asking about how or what is said and 说 meaning “say.” The pattern 怎么 + verb can ask how an action is performed, while in 他们怎么说 it introduces the content or manner of their saying: 你怎么说？ — “What do you say?” or “How do you put it?”, depending on context. Together, 你现在提起这件事 means “you bring up this matter now.” 已经 marks that this has happened by the present point, and 很有帮助 says that this action has a very helpful effect: “Bringing it up now is already very helpful,” matching the fixed translation’s natural “You brought it up now, and that helps.” The second sentence, 我们看看他们怎么说, combines 我们 with the light, tentative action 看看, followed by the embedded clause 他们怎么说: “We’ll see what they say.”