Checking an Apartment Before a Long Trip | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我们要离开好几天，所以再仔细检查一遍公寓吧。

   We'll be away for several days, so let's double-check the apartment.

   我们要

   we’re going to

   离开

   leave; be away

   好几天

   several days

   所以

   so; therefore

   再

   again; once more

   仔细检查

   check carefully; double-check

   一遍

   once; one pass

   公寓

   apartment

   吧

   suggestion particle

   More detail

   我们要 combines 我们 (“we”) with 要, which here marks a planned or expected action: “we are going to …”. 要 can also express meanings such as “need to” in other contexts, so the following verb and context determine the reading. Example: 我要回家。 — “I’m going home.” 离开 means “to leave” or, as in this sentence, “to be away.” Its base form is already shown here; Mandarin verbs do not change form for person or number. Example: 他明天离开。 — “He leaves tomorrow.” 好几天 means “several days,” with 好几 conveying a fairly large but nonspecific number. 天 is the time-unit noun “day.” This expression does not specify an exact count. Example: 她去了好几天。 — “She went away for several days.” 所以 connects a reason with its result and means “so” or “therefore.” Here it introduces the action that follows from being away for several days. Example: 下雨了，所以我们不出门。 — “It’s raining, so we aren’t going out.” 再 means “again” or “once more.” Before an action, it indicates that the action should be done another time. In this sentence, it modifies the checking action rather than the apartment. 仔细检查 means “check carefully.” 仔细 describes the manner of checking, while 检查 is the lexical verb “to inspect” or “to check.” Together they ask for a careful inspection. Example: 请仔细检查这份文件。 — “Please check this document carefully.” 一遍 means “one pass” or “once” when counting an action from beginning to end. With 再, the pattern 再……一遍 means “do … once more” or “go through … again.” 一遍 counts the completed run-through of the action, not a stated number of apartments or days. 公寓 is the noun “apartment.” In this sentence it is the object of 检查: the apartment is what is to be checked. Example: 这套公寓很安静。 — “This apartment is quiet.” 吧 is a sentence-final particle that makes the utterance a suggestion or proposal. It softens the imperative force: the speaker proposes checking rather than issuing a bare command. The sentence first gives the plan, 我们要离开好几天 — “we will be away for several days.” 所以 then links that circumstance to the suggested action. 再仔细检查一遍公寓 means “carefully check the apartment once more,” and 吧 presents the whole action as a proposal. Together: “We’ll be away for several days, so let’s double-check the apartment.”

2. 我已经拔掉了小家电的插头，也关了炉子。

   I unplugged the small appliances and turned off the stove.

   我已经

   I have already …

   拔掉

   unplug; pull out

   小家电

   small appliance(s)

   插头

   plug

   也

   also

   关

   turn off; close

   炉子

   stove

   More detail

   我已经 means “I already …” here. 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I”; 已经 is an adverb meaning that an action has happened by the relevant time. It often appears with 了 when describing a completed event, as in 我已经吃了饭。 — “I have already eaten.” 拔掉 means “unplug” in this sentence. Its base verb is 拔, “pull out,” and 掉 is a result complement showing removal: 拔 + 掉 gives “pull out completely.” This pattern is reusable with removable objects, for example 请把电池拔掉。 — “Please remove the battery.” 小家电 is a noun meaning “small household appliance(s).” 小 describes the type or size, while 家电 means household electrical appliance(s). In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended plural group of appliances; the noun itself does not need a separate plural ending in Chinese. 插头 is the noun “plug.” The phrase 小家电的插头 means “the plugs of the small appliances”: 的 links the appliances with the plugs associated with them. The sentence therefore focuses on removing the plugs, with the fixed translation expressing the resulting action as unplugging the appliances. 也 means “also” and links this action to another action by the same understood subject. It does not itself mean “again” or indicate how many actions occurred. 关 means “turn off” here. Its general meaning can involve closing or shutting, but with 炉子 it describes stopping the stove. The perfective marker 了 follows it in 关了, presenting the turning-off as completed. For example, 他关了灯。 means “He turned off the light.” 炉子 is the noun “stove.” In this sentence it is the thing that was turned off. A useful related noun is 炉灶, also meaning “stove” or “cooking range,” though it is not the form used in the fixed utterance. Together, 我已经 sets up an action that has already been completed, and 拔掉了小家电的插头 says that I removed the plugs from the small appliances. 也关了炉子 adds a second completed action, with 也 meaning “also,” 关 meaning “turn off,” and 了 marking completion. The whole utterance means: “I unplugged the small appliances and turned off the stove.”

3. 阳台门和卧室窗户都锁好了吗？

   Are the balcony door and bedroom windows secure?

   阳台

   balcony

   门

   door

   和

   and

   卧室

   bedroom

   窗户

   window

   都

   both; all

   锁好

   lock securely

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   阳台 means “balcony” here. It is a noun that can directly modify another noun: 阳台门 means “balcony door.” 门 means “door.” In 阳台门, the first noun specifies the type or location of the door; Chinese commonly places this modifier before the head noun without an extra linking word. 和 joins the two noun phrases: 阳台门和卧室窗户 means “the balcony door and the bedroom windows.” It is a general coordination word for “and.” 卧室 means “bedroom.” Like 阳台, it can modify a following noun: 卧室窗户 means “bedroom window(s).” 窗户 means “window.” The form does not itself mark singular versus plural, so the intended number is supplied by context and by 都 in this sentence. The fixed translation and following context support “windows” here. 都 means that the whole coordinated set is included: in this question, it asks whether the balcony door and the bedroom windows are all in the stated condition. With two coordinated items, “both” is a natural English rendering. The reusable pattern is A 和 B 都 + predicate (“both A and B …”). 锁好 combines 锁 (“to lock”) with 好 as a result complement. 锁 names the action, while 好 indicates that the action has reached a satisfactory or secure result, not merely that someone started turning a lock. For example, 请把门锁好。 means “Please lock the door securely.” The 了 in 锁好了吗 presents the locking as a completed or now-relevant result, and the final 吗 marks a yes-or-no question. Thus 锁好了吗？ asks whether the item has been locked securely. This is a question about the resulting condition, rather than a question asking who performed the action. Together, 阳台门和卧室窗户 supplies the coordinated subject, 都 applies the predicate to every item in that set, and 锁好了吗 asks whether the secure-locking result has been achieved. The whole utterance therefore means: “Are the balcony door and bedroom windows secure?”

4. 阳台门已经锁好了，我现在去检查卧室的窗户。

   The balcony door is locked, and I will check the bedroom windows now.

   阳台门

   balcony door

   已经

   already

   锁好了

   is locked and secure

   我

   I

   现在

   now

   去

   go

   检查

   check; inspect

   卧室

   bedroom

   窗户

   window

   More detail

   阳台门 means “balcony door.” It is a compact noun phrase: 阳台 means “balcony” and 门 means “door.” Chinese commonly places a noun modifier before the noun it describes, so this pattern can be reused in phrases such as 卧室门 (“bedroom door”). 已经 means “already.” It marks a situation as completed or established by the relevant time. It commonly appears before the predicate, as in 我已经吃饭了 (“I have already eaten”). 锁好了 describes the door as having reached a properly locked state. 锁 is the verb “to lock,” 好 is a result complement showing that the action has been completed satisfactorily, and 了 marks the newly established state or completed event. Thus, 锁好 is more specific than simply “lock”: it suggests locking securely or properly. The form does not change for person or number. 我 means “I” and is a first-person singular pronoun in this sentence. Chinese pronouns do not change for subject case or verb agreement. The sentence’s fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person who will perform the checking. 现在 means “now.” It places the following action at the current time. A reusable pattern is 现在 + verb, as in 现在开始 (“start now”). 去 means “go.” Before another verb, as in 去检查, it forms a pattern meaning “go and check” or “go to check.” In this sentence, the fixed translation presents the result naturally as “will check,” while the Chinese wording focuses on proceeding to carry out that action. 检查 means “check” or “inspect.” It is a transitive verb and can be followed directly by the thing being inspected, as in 检查门 (“check the door”). Here it follows 去 and takes the noun phrase about the bedroom windows as its object. 卧室 means “bedroom.” It is a noun that can modify another noun directly, as in 卧室门 (“bedroom door”) and 卧室窗户 (“bedroom window(s)”). 窗户 means “window.” Chinese does not require a plural ending on this noun; number is often understood from context. In the fixed translation, the intended meaning is rendered as “windows,” but the form itself can refer to one or more windows. Together, the first part says that the balcony door has already been properly locked. The second part uses 我现在去检查 to say that the speaker is now proceeding to check the bedroom windows. The complete meaning is: “The balcony door is locked, and I will check the bedroom windows now.”

5. 我们不在的时候，要不要把恒温器调低？

   Should we lower the thermostat while we are gone?

   我们

   we

   不在的时候

   when not present / away

   要不要

   should ... or not

   把

   handle a specific object

   恒温器

   thermostat

   调低

   lower; turn down

   More detail

   我们 means “we” here: the speaker includes themself and at least one other person. 我 is “I,” while 我们 refers to a group; 们 commonly marks a personal pronoun as plural. Example: 我们回来了。 — “We’re back.” 不在的时候 means “when not present” or “when away.” 在 expresses being present or being at a place, and 不在 negates it. 的时候 forms a time expression meaning “when/while …”; in this sentence, the understood subject of 不在 is supplied by 我们. Example: 我不在的时候，请给我留言。 — “When I’m away, please leave me a message.” 要不要 is a reusable yes-or-no question pattern meaning “should … or not?” or, in another context, “do you want to … or not?” It is formed from affirmative 要 and negative 不要, with the negative marker 不 before 要; it is not a repeated affirmative form. Here 要 has a modal “should” sense because the question proposes an action. Example: 要不要现在出发？ — “Should we leave now?” 把 introduces a specific object and places that object before the action that affects it. The following verb phrase describes what is done to that object. This is the 把 construction, not a standalone translation of “the.” Example: 把门关上。 — “Close the door.” 恒温器 means “thermostat,” the device that controls temperature. It is the object placed after 把, so the sentence presents the thermostat as the thing affected by the adjustment. 调低 means “lower” or “turn down” a setting. 调 is the verb “adjust,” and 低 contributes the lower result or direction. The compound can be reused with adjustable settings, as in 把音量调低。 — “Turn the volume down.” Its opposite in this setting is 调高, “turn up” or “raise.” Together, 我们不在的时候 sets the time condition, and 要不要 frames the proposal as a choice about whether to act. 把恒温器调低 uses the 把 construction to present the thermostat as the object whose setting is lowered. The whole utterance means: “Should we lower the thermostat while we are gone?”

6. 调低一点，但别调得太低，免得公寓变得太冷。

   Set it lower, but not so low that the apartment gets too cold.

   调低

   lower; turn down

   一点

   a little

   别

   don’t

   调得

   adjust to a degree

   太低

   too low

   免得

   so as to avoid

   公寓

   apartment

   变得

   become

   太冷

   too cold

   More detail

   调低 means “lower” or “turn down”: 调 is the verb “adjust,” and 低 gives the resulting direction or level. Later, the same verb and adjective occur with 得 between them in 调得太低; that later sequence is not another occurrence of the compound 调低. Example: 把声音调低。 — “Turn the volume down.” 一点 means “a little.” After a verb, it commonly indicates a small degree or amount: 说慢一点。 — “Speak a little more slowly.” Here it makes the requested lowering modest, not a precisely stated quantity. 别 is a colloquial negative imperative, meaning “don’t.” It introduces the action the speaker wants to prevent. Example: 别关门。 — “Don’t close the door.” 调得 uses 得 to connect 调 with a degree complement. In the pattern 动词 + 得 + 描述程度, the following words describe how far or to what degree the action is carried out. Here, 调得太低 means “adjust it to an excessively low level.” This 得 is not the possession marker 的 and is not the result-complement marker 地. 太低 means “too low.” 太 + adjective marks an excessive degree relative to the situation. The adjective is 低, whose comparative expression is usually formed with 更低 (“lower”), while 太低 means “excessively low,” not simply “lower.” 免得 introduces an unwanted result that the speaker wants to avoid: “so as to avoid” or “lest.” It connects the preceding action with the reason for limiting it. Example: 早点出发，免得迟到。 — “Leave earlier so that we don’t arrive late.” 公寓 is the noun “apartment.” Example: 这套公寓很安静。 — “This apartment is very quiet.” 变得 means “become” or “grow into a new state.” It consists of 变 (“change”) followed by 得, which links that verb to the following description of the resulting state. Here, 变得太冷 means “become too cold”; this use of 得 is different from the degree-complement pattern in 调得太低. Example: 天气变得冷了。 — “The weather became cold.” 太冷 means “too cold.” Here 冷 describes the resulting state of the apartment, and 太 marks that the coldness would be excessive. Example: 房间太冷了。 — “The room is too cold.” Together, 调低一点 asks for a small reduction. 但别调得太低 limits that reduction: do not adjust it to an excessively low level. 免得公寓变得太冷 gives the result to avoid—the apartment becoming too cold. Thus the whole utterance means: “Set it lower, but not so low that the apartment gets too cold.”

7. 我还请邻居帮忙收取包裹。

   I also asked our neighbor to collect any packages.

   我

   I; me

   还

   also

   请

   ask; request

   邻居

   neighbor

   帮忙

   help

   收取

   collect; receive

   包裹

   package

   More detail

   我 is the first-person pronoun, meaning “I” here. It does not change for gender, and it can refer to one speaker; Chinese uses 我们 for “we.” Example: 我看书。 — “I read.” 还 means “also” in this sentence, adding this request to something else the speaker did. It appears before the verb phrase 请邻居帮忙收取包裹. In other contexts, 还 can mean “still,” but the fixed translation supports the “also” reading here. Example: 我还买了水。 — “I also bought water.” 请 means “ask” here, specifically requesting that someone do something. A useful pattern is 请 + person + verb phrase: 我请朋友修电脑。 — “I asked a friend to fix the computer.” 请 can also mean “please” or “invite” in other constructions, so its meaning comes from the surrounding words. 邻居 means “neighbor.” It is a noun made of 邻 (“neighboring”) and 居 (“reside”), but it functions as one ordinary word in this sentence. Example: 邻居来了。 — “The neighbor came.” The fixed translation identifies this person as “our neighbor”; the Chinese sentence itself does not separately show a possessive such as 我们的. 帮忙 means “help” and is used here before another verb phrase: 帮忙 + verb means to help with that action. Thus 帮忙收取包裹 means “help collect packages,” rather than merely “help” in isolation. Example: 请帮忙开门。 — “Please help open the door.” 收取 means “collect” or “receive” in the sense of taking delivery of something. It is a verb and has the formal, service-related feel often used for payments, documents, or deliveries. 收到 is a useful contrast: it means “receive/get” as the result of something arriving, whereas 收取 emphasizes collecting or accepting it. Example: 请收取快递。 — “Please collect the delivery.” 包裹 means “package” or “parcel.” It is a noun; Chinese does not require a plural ending here, so 包裹 can refer to one or to packages generally, as supported by context and the fixed translation. Example: 包裹到了。 — “The package has arrived.” Putting the parts together in their original order, 我还 gives “I also,” 请邻居 gives “asked the neighbor,” and 帮忙收取包裹 gives “to help collect packages.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I also asked our neighbor to collect any packages.” The pattern 请 + person + 帮忙 + verb is reusable for asking someone to help carry out an action.

8. 这样我们不在的时候，公寓看起来就像有人住。

   That helps the place look occupied while we are away.

   这样

   that way

   我们

   we; us

   不在的时候

   when away

   公寓

   apartment

   看起来

   look; seem

   就像

   just like; as if

   有人

   someone

   住

   live; stay

   More detail

   这样 means “in this way” or “that way.” It links the method just discussed with its result. A reusable pattern is 这样，…… = “That way, …” 我们 is the first-person plural pronoun “we/us.” Chinese pronouns do not change for grammatical case, and this form does not itself specify the exact number of people. Example: 我们回家。 — “We are going home.” 不在的时候 means “when [we] are not there.” 在 means “be present / be there,” and 不在 negates it. 的时候 turns the situation into a time expression: ……的时候 = “when …” or “while …”. Here, 我们 supplies the understood subject of 不在. Example: 我不在的时候，请给我留言。 — “When I am away, please leave me a message.” 公寓 means “apartment.” It is a noun for the dwelling or unit itself. Example: 这间公寓很安静。 — “This apartment is quiet.” 看起来 means “look” or “seem” in the sense of how something appears. It is built from 看 “look” and 起来, which here forms the appearance construction 看起来 + description: “look/seem …”. Example: 房间看起来很干净。 — “The room looks very clean.” 就像 means “just like” or “as if.” It introduces the comparison that follows. In this sentence, 就 helps present the comparison as the resulting appearance: the apartment looks as though someone lives there. Example: 他就像我的哥哥。 — “He is just like my older brother.” 有人 means “someone” or “there is someone.” 有 presents existence or possession, while 人 means “person.” In 有人住, it does not identify a particular person; it conveys the impression that a person lives there. Example: 门口有人。 — “There is someone at the entrance.” 住 means “live” or “stay,” depending on context. Here it describes residing in the apartment, not merely being present for a moment. Chinese verbs generally do not change form for person or number: 我住这里 and 他们住这里 both use 住. Example: 她住在北京。 — “She lives in Beijing.” Together, 这样 gives the result of the earlier arrangement: “that way.” The time clause 我们不在的时候 means “when we are away.” The main clause 公寓看起来 says “the apartment looks,” and 就像有人住 completes the comparison as “as if someone lives there.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That helps the place look occupied while we are away.”

9. 现在我离开时放心多了。

   Now I feel more relaxed about leaving.

   现在

   now

   我

   I; me

   离开

   leave

   时

   when; at the time

   放心

   feel at ease

   多了

   more; to a greater degree

   More detail

   现在 means “now,” placing the situation in the present. It is a time adverb and commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence: 现在我明白了。—“Now I understand.” 我 means “I” or “me.” It is the first-person singular pronoun; the plural form is 我们. Here the fixed translation identifies the speaker as “I.” 离开 means “to leave” or “to depart.” It can be used directly before a time word or time expression: 我离开以后给你打电话。—“I’ll call you after I leave.” 时 marks the time when the preceding action or situation occurs. Thus 离开时 means “when leaving” or “when I leave.” A reusable pattern is verb + 时: 到家时告诉我。—“Tell me when you get home.” The subject of the time clause can be understood from context; here, 我 supplies the speaker associated with 离开. 放心 means “to feel at ease” or “to be reassured.” It describes a relieved or unworried state. For example, 这样我就放心了。—“Then I’ll feel reassured.” 多了 follows the state word 放心 and indicates that the degree has increased compared with an earlier state: 放心多了 means “much more at ease.” Here 多了 is not a quantity of objects; it marks a change in degree. Compare 更放心, “more at ease,” which presents a comparison, while 放心多了 highlights the resulting change. Example: 现在她放心多了。—“Now she feels much more at ease.” Together, 现在 sets the time as “now,” 我 identifies the speaker, 离开时 gives the condition “when leaving,” and 放心多了 says that the speaker’s state of ease is greater than before. The whole utterance therefore means: “Now I feel more relaxed about leaving.”

10. 这份检查清单花了一点时间，但很值得。

    This checklist took a little time, but it was worth it.

    这份

    this

    检查清单

    checklist

    花了

    took; spent

    一点

    a little

    时间

    time

    但

    but

    很值得

    very worthwhile

    More detail

    这份 identifies a particular item as “this one.” In Chinese, 这 means “this,” while 份 is a classifier used with documents and other items regarded as portions or sets of material. The classifier agrees with the type of noun being counted; it is not itself the noun’s meaning. 检查清单 means “checklist.” It is a compound noun: 检查 means “check” or “inspect,” and 清单 means “list.” In this sentence, the whole compound names the document being discussed. 花了 is the verb 花 in the pattern 花 + time + 了, meaning to spend or take an amount of time. Chinese verbs do not change form for past tense. Here, 了 marks the completed event: the time was spent. For example, 我花了两小时准备。 means “I spent two hours preparing.” 一点 means “a little” or “a small amount.” It modifies the following time expression and does not assert an exact count. For a larger, unspecified amount, Chinese commonly uses 一些, “some.” 时间 means “time.” The reusable pattern 花了 + amount + 时间 describes how much time an activity required or someone spent on it. In 花了一点时间, the amount is placed before 时间. 但 connects two contrasting parts and means “but.” It is a compact conjunction; the first part says that time was required, while the second gives a favorable evaluation. 很值得 means “very worthwhile” here. 值得 is the adjective-like word “worthwhile” and can also be followed by an action or object, as in 这本书值得读。, “This book is worth reading.” 很 adds a high degree in this sentence; it does not mean “very” as a separate event. Together, 这份检查清单 sets up “this checklist” as the topic. 花了一点时间 says that completing or dealing with it took a little time, and 但很值得 contrasts that cost with the judgment that it was very worthwhile. Thus the complete utterance means: “This checklist took a little time, but it was worth it.”