Confirming Delay Information and Where to Wait | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 广播说有延误，但没有说明原因。

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   广播

   announcement; broadcast

   说

   say

   有

   there is; have

   延误

   delay

   但

   but

   没有

   did not

   说明

   explain; state

   原因

   reason; cause

   More detail

   广播 means “announcement” here. It can also refer to broadcasting as an activity or medium, but in this utterance it is the information source. Example: 广播正在播放音乐 — “The broadcast is playing music.” 说 means “say” and introduces the content that follows. In Mandarin it does not change for person or time. Example: 他说今天下雨 — “He says it is raining today.” 有 means “there is/are” in this sentence: 有延误 presents a delay as existing. This existential use is different from possession, as in 我有票 — “I have a ticket.” 有 itself does not change for singular or plural. 延误 means “delay” here, referring to a delay in the service or schedule. The same form can also be used as a verb meaning “to delay,” depending on its position and context. Example: 航班延误了 — “The flight was delayed.” 但 means “but” and connects two contrasting pieces of information. The first part reports a delay; the second part reports a lack of explanation. 没有 means “did not” before the verb 说明 here. The pattern 没有 + verb negates an occurrence or completed action; it is not simply the existential meaning “there is not.” Mandarin does not mark past tense on the verb itself. Example: 他没有回答 — “He did not answer.” 说明 means “explain” or “state clearly.” In 没有说明原因, it describes the action that was not carried out: giving the reason. Example: 请说明情况 — “Please explain the situation.” 原因 means “reason” or “cause.” It is the object of 说明: the announcement did not state the reason. Example: 我知道原因 — “I know the reason.” Together, 广播说 introduces the announcement’s message, and 有延误 says that a delay exists. 但 marks a contrast. 没有说明原因 says that the announcement did not state why, literally that it did not explain the reason. Thus the whole utterance means: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. 我想他们正在检查火车，然后才让乘客上车。

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   我想

   I think

   他们

   they

   正在

   be currently doing

   检查

   check; inspect

   火车

   train

   然后才

   then and only after that

   让

   let; allow

   乘客

   passenger

   上车

   board; get on

   More detail

   我想 means “I think” here. 想 is the verb in the fixed form; depending on context, it can also mean “want” or “miss,” so the surrounding clause selects the thought meaning here. A reusable pattern is 我想 + clause: “I think + clause.” Example: 我想他到了。 — “I think he has arrived.” 他们 means “they.” It is a third-person plural pronoun, referring to the people identified as the actors in the fixed translation. Chinese pronouns do not change for grammatical case, but 他们 is the masculine or mixed-group written form; 她们 is used for an explicitly all-female group. 正在 marks an action in progress at the relevant time. It normally appears before the verb or verb phrase, as in 正在检查 “are currently checking.” It is not itself the English verb “be”; it adds the ongoing-progress meaning. Example: 他们正在工作。 — “They are working.” 检查 means “to check” or “to inspect.” It is a verb whose basic form does not change for person or time in this sentence. Example: 工作人员检查行李。 — “The staff inspect the luggage.” 火车 means “train.” It is a noun made of 火 “fire” and 车 “vehicle,” but it functions as one ordinary word meaning “train” here. Example: 火车来了。 — “The train has arrived.” 然后才 combines sequence with restriction: 然后 means “then,” while 才 means that the next event occurs only after the stated condition or earlier event. Together here, they introduce the point at which boarding is allowed: only after the checking. Example: 先买票，然后才进站。 — “Buy the ticket first, and only then enter the station.” 让 means “let” or “allow” when it introduces a person followed by an action. The reusable pattern is 让 + person + verb: “let/allow someone to do something.” In this sentence, 让乘客上车 means “let the passengers board.” Example: 请让孩子休息。 — “Please let the child rest.” 乘客 means “passenger.” It is a noun for a person traveling in a vehicle. Chinese nouns do not obligatorily mark singular versus plural, so this form can refer to one passenger or passengers; the fixed translation uses the general plural-like reading “people.” Example: 乘客正在等车。 — “The passengers are waiting for the vehicle.” 上车 means “board” or “get on the vehicle.” 上 contributes the movement onto or into a vehicle, and 车 identifies the vehicle in this compound. This is a verb phrase, not a claim that the passengers move upward in a literal direction. Example: 请上车。 — “Please get on.” Taken together, 他们正在检查火车 says “they are checking the train.” The following 然后才让乘客上车 says that only after that checking do they allow the passengers to board. Thus the whole utterance means: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. 我们应该待在这里，还是去找另一个站台？

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   我们应该

   we should

   待在

   stay at

   这里

   here

   还是

   or

   去找

   go look for

   另一个

   another

   站台

   platform

   More detail

   我们应该 combines 我们 (“we”) with 应该, expressing what the speaker thinks is advisable: “we should.” 应该 is a modal placed before the action. For example, 我们应该现在出发。 means “We should leave now.” The form does not itself say that the action will happen; it presents it as the appropriate choice. 待在 means remaining in a place. 待 is the verb “stay,” and 在 introduces the location. This pattern is reusable with a location, as in 待在家里 (“stay at home”). It differs from simply naming a location because it focuses on remaining there. 这里 means “here,” the location relevant to the speaker’s situation. It is a location word rather than a noun that needs a separate article or plural marker. 待在这里 therefore means “stay here.” 还是 links alternatives in a question. In this sentence it introduces the alternative to staying: “or.” A useful contrast is 还是 in an alternative question, as in 你喝茶还是咖啡？ (“Do you drink tea or coffee?”), versus 或者, which commonly links alternatives in statements such as 你可以喝茶或者咖啡。 (“You can drink tea or coffee.”) 去找 is a two-verb sequence: 去 means “go,” and 找 means “look for” or “seek.” Together they express going somewhere in order to look for something. For example, 我去找工作人员。 means “I’ll go look for a staff member.” The following object identifies what is being sought. 另一个 means “another one” or “a different one.” 另 marks difference from the one already under consideration, while 一个 is the classifier phrase used here for one item. It does not by itself specify a numerical count for the whole situation; it identifies an additional alternative of the relevant type. For example, 请给我另一个。 means “Please give me another one.” 站台 means “platform,” here referring to the railway platform being considered as the destination or object of the search. It is a noun and follows 另一个 in the pattern 另一个 + noun: 另一个站台 means “another platform.” As a whole, 我们应该待在这里 asks whether staying in the current place is the advisable action. 还是 introduces the competing option, 去找另一个站台, going to look for a different platform. Together they form the alternative question: “Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?”

4. 我们现在先待在附近。如果情况有变化，工作人员会告诉我们该去哪里。

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   我们

   we; us

   现在

   now

   先

   for now; first

   待

   stay

   附近

   nearby

   如果

   if

   情况

   situation

   有变化

   there is a change

   工作人员

   staff

   告诉

   tell

   该

   should

   去

   go

   哪里

   where

   More detail

   我们 means “we/us” and refers here to the people speaking together. In Chinese, this form can function as the subject (“we”) or as an object (“us”); its role comes from its position in the sentence. Example: 他们帮助我们。 — “They help us.” 现在 means “now,” locating the situation at the present time. It is a time word, not the word that creates the temporary “for now” nuance by itself. Example: 我们现在走。 — “We are leaving now.” 先 means “first” or “for now” and marks an action as temporary or preliminary before a later decision or action. In 现在先待在附近, it combines with the time word 现在 to give “stay nearby for now.” Example: 你先坐。 — “Sit down for now / first.” 待 means “stay” or “remain.” It is the base form used after the subject here; Chinese verbs do not change for person or number. Example: 请待在这里。 — “Please stay here.” 附近 means “nearby” or “the vicinity.” With 待, 待在附近 means “stay nearby”; 在 marks the location of the staying. Example: 商店就在附近。 — “The shop is nearby.” 如果 introduces a condition: “if.” The material after it describes the condition under which the main clause applies. Example: 如果下雨，我们就不走。 — “If it rains, we will not leave.” 情况 means “the situation” or “the circumstances.” Here it is the situation that may undergo a change, rather than a person changing it. Example: 情况很复杂。 — “The situation is complicated.” 有变化 literally presents “there being a change” and means “change occurs” or “there is a change.” 有 is the verb “have/there is,” while 变化 is the noun “change” in this compact pattern. Example: 如果有变化，请通知我。 — “If there is a change, please notify me.” 工作人员 means “staff member(s)” or “staff.” It is a general term for people working in the relevant service or organization. Chinese does not require a separate plural ending here; the context supplies the group reading. Example: 工作人员会帮助你。 — “The staff will help you.” 告诉 means “tell” or “inform,” normally introducing the person told and the information communicated. In 告诉我们, 我们 is the recipient: “tell us.” Example: 请告诉我答案。 — “Please tell me the answer.” 该 means “should” or “be supposed to” in 该去哪里, expressing the appropriate or expected action. It is not the ordinary verb “go”; 去 carries that action. Example: 我们该怎么办？ — “What should we do?” 去 means “go” or “go to.” Here it appears inside the indirect question 该去哪里, “where [we] should go.” Example: 我去车站。 — “I am going to the station.” 哪里 means “where,” asking about a place. In 去哪里, it is the destination being asked about: “where to go.” Example: 你要去哪里？ — “Where are you going?” Together, 我们现在先待在附近 says “we will stay nearby for now,” with 现在 locating the plan in the present and 先 making it provisional. 如果情况有变化 adds the condition “if the situation changes.” The main clause, 工作人员会告诉我们该去哪里, says that the staff will tell us where we should go; 会 indicates the expected future event, while 该去哪里 is an embedded question rather than a direct question addressed to the listener. The complete utterance therefore means: “Stay close for now. If the situation changes, staff will tell us where to go.”

5. 我带着行李，所以不想一直到处走。

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   我

   I

   带着

   carry; have with me

   行李

   luggage

   所以

   so

   不想

   do not want

   一直

   continuously; keep on

   到处

   everywhere; around

   走

   walk; go

   More detail

   我 means “I” here. It is the first-person singular pronoun for the speaker. Unlike 我们 (“we”), it refers to the speaker alone. Example: 我在这里。 — “I am here.” 带着 means having or carrying something with oneself. The base verb 带 means “bring, take, or carry.” Here, 着 presents the state of having or carrying the luggage as continuing in the situation; it is not a past-tense marker. Example: 她带着雨伞。 — “She has an umbrella with her.” 行李 means luggage or baggage. It is generally a mass-like noun, so it does not itself specify how many bags there are. Example: 请把行李放在这里。 — “Please put the luggage here.” 所以 introduces the consequence of what came before: “so” or “therefore.” The pattern 因为 A，所以 B means “because A, B,” although 因为 can be omitted when the reason is already clear. Here, the luggage situation leads to the speaker’s wish not to keep moving around. 不想 means “do not want to.” 想 expresses wanting or intending to do something, and 不 negates it. In 不想一直到处走, the negation applies to the speaker’s desire, not necessarily to the physical possibility of moving. Example: 我不想等太久。 — “I do not want to wait too long.” 一直 means continuously or all along. With 走 here, it adds the idea of continuing to move around rather than making one isolated movement. Example: 他一直在等。 — “He has been waiting continuously.” 到处 means in every place or from place to place. It commonly appears before an action to describe moving or looking in many places. Example: 他们到处找钥匙。 — “They looked everywhere for the key.” In the fixed utterance, it contributes “around” to the movement, rather than identifying a particular destination. 走 can mean “walk,” but it can also mean “go” or “leave,” depending on context. Here, with 一直到处, it means moving or going around. Example: 我们走吧。 — “Let’s go.” Together, 我带着行李 means “I have luggage with me.” 所以 links that situation to the consequence 不想一直到处走: the speaker does not want to keep moving around continuously. The whole utterance therefore means: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. 如果我们需要换站台，我会问他们能不能帮忙。

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   如果

   if

   我们

   we

   需要

   need

   换

   switch; change

   站台

   platform

   我会

   I will

   问

   ask

   他们

   them

   能不能

   whether ... can

   帮忙

   help

   More detail

   如果 introduces a condition: “if …”. A reusable pattern is 如果 + condition, ..., as in 如果下雨，我们不出门。 (“If it rains, we will not go out.”). The condition comes before the main clause in this sentence. 我们 means “we,” referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. It is different from 我 (“I”) because it includes someone besides the speaker. 需要 means “need” and is a general-purpose verb. 需要 + noun means “need a thing,” while 需要 + verb phrase means “need to do something.” Here, 需要换站台 means “need to switch platforms.” 换 means “change” or “switch.” In this sentence it describes moving from one platform to another; the destination is supplied by 站台. It can also be used in patterns such as 换衣服 (“change clothes”). 站台 means “platform,” especially a train or station platform. The phrase 换站台 therefore means “switch platforms,” not simply “change a platform” as an isolated object. 我会 combines 我 (“I”) with 会. Here 会 presents the speaker’s future action: “I will.” In other contexts, 会 can also express a likely event or an acquired ability, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding predicate and context. Chinese verbs do not change form for person or tense; 问 remains the same after 我会. 问 means “ask.” The pattern 问 + person + question/content is useful: 我问他时间。 means “I ask him the time.” Here, the content of asking is the following 他们能不能帮忙 clause. 他们 means “they/them.” It is the third-person plural pronoun and is the people whom the speaker will ask. Chinese pronouns do not mark case by changing form, so 他们 can function as the object of 问 here. 能不能 is a choice-question pattern meaning “whether ... can” or literally “can or cannot.” It places the positive and negative forms together: 能不能 + verb. For example, 你能不能来？ means “Can you come?” In this sentence it asks whether the people can perform the following action, rather than asking about the speaker’s ability. 帮忙 means “help” or “give assistance.” It commonly follows an ability or request expression, as in 请帮忙。 (“Please help.”) Here it is the action whose possibility is being asked about. Together, 如果我们需要换站台 means “if we need to switch platforms.” The main clause 我会问他们能不能帮忙 means “I will ask them whether they can help.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.” The conditional does not assert that switching platforms will happen; it states what the speaker will do if that condition occurs.

7. 如果临时才通知变更，那会很有帮助。

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   如果

   if

   临时

   at the last minute

   才

   only then; not until then

   通知

   notify

   变更

   change

   那会

   that would

   很有帮助

   be very helpful

   More detail

   如果 introduces a condition: “if …”. The reusable pattern is 如果 A，B (“if A, B”). In this sentence, it begins the condition that follows. 临时 means that something happens with little advance notice or at the last minute. It can describe timing, as in 临时通知 (“notify someone at the last minute”). Example: 他临时改变了计划。 — “He changed the plan at the last minute.” 才 marks a late or delayed point: “only then” or “not until then.” Here, 临时才通知 means “only notify [someone] at the last minute.” It emphasizes that the notification occurs late, rather than merely stating when it occurs. Example: 他晚上才回来。 — “He did not come back until evening.” 通知 is the verb “to notify” or “to inform.” Its object can follow it directly, as in 通知大家 (“notify everyone”). In the fixed sentence, 变更 follows it as the thing being notified: “notify [someone] of the change.” 变更 means “change” in the sense of an alteration, often somewhat formal. It can function as a noun, as it does here after 通知, or as a verb in other contexts. Example: 请通知我时间的变更。 — “Please notify me of the change in time.” 那会 combines 那 (“that”) with 会, a modal that can express an expected result or a conditional “would.” Here, 那 points back to the situation in the condition, and 会 presents its result as “would.” The pattern 如果 A，那会 B means “if A, that would B.” 很有帮助 means “be very helpful.” 有帮助 literally expresses having help or being helpful, and 很 intensifies the adjective-like predicate. Example: 这个说明很有帮助。 — “This explanation is very helpful.” Together, 如果临时才通知变更 forms the condition “if the change is notified only at the last minute,” and 那会很有帮助 gives the result “that would be very helpful.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.”

8. 他们更新电子屏后，我们就可以不用猜测，直接行动了。

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   他们

   they

   更新

   update

   电子屏

   electronic display

   后

   after

   我们

   we

   就可以

   can then

   不用

   not need to

   猜测

   guess

   直接

   directly

   行动

   act

   More detail

   他们 means “they” here and is the subject of 更新. It is a third-person plural pronoun; unlike some languages, it does not show the gender of the people referred to. Example: 他们来了。 — “They came.” 更新 is a verb meaning “to update” in this sentence. Its form does not change for person or tense; time is understood from context or shown with other words. Example: 请更新信息。 — “Please update the information.” 电子屏 is a noun compound meaning “electronic display” or “electronic board.” 电子 describes the type, and 屏 is the display or screen. Example: 电子屏显示时间。 — “The electronic display shows the time.” 后 means “after.” Following an event or clause, the pattern A 后 means “after A”; here, 他们更新电子屏后 means “after they update the electronic display.” Example: 吃饭后我们散步。 — “We take a walk after eating.” 我们 means “we” or “us.” It is a first-person plural pronoun and does not itself specify exactly who else is included. In this sentence it is the subject of the later action: the people who can act after the display is updated. 就可以 combines 就, which links the result promptly to the stated condition, with 可以, “can” or “be able to.” Thus A 后，我们就可以 B means “after A, we can then B.” 可以 expresses possibility or permission according to context; here the translation supports ability or practical possibility. Example: 准备好后，我们就可以开始。 — “Once we are ready, we can start.” 不用 means “do not need to” or “there is no need to.” It is 不 plus 用 in the sense “need/use,” but in this construction it expresses lack of necessity. Example: 你不用等待。 — “You do not need to wait.” 猜测 is a verb meaning “to guess” or “to speculate.” Here it describes the uncertainty that is no longer necessary once the display has been updated. Example: 不要猜测答案。 — “Do not guess the answer.” 直接 is an adverb meaning “directly,” indicating that the action is taken without an intervening step. Example: 请直接回答。 — “Please answer directly.” 行动 is a verb meaning “to act” or “take action.” Here it is the action that 我们 can take. Example: 情况紧急时要立即行动。 — “When the situation is urgent, one must act immediately.” Together, 他们更新电子屏后 sets the time condition: “once they update the electronic display.” 我们就可以 presents the resulting possibility: “we can then.” 不用猜测 says that guessing is unnecessary, and 直接行动 says that the group can act directly instead. The final 了 marks a newly applicable situation or change of state, so the whole utterance means: “Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.”