Telling my landlord the hot water is broken: Prior attemps to fix the problem

💬 Put 过 right after a verb to say you've done it before. Swap the verb to make others: 你看过了吗？ "Have you looked?"

💬 To answer yes, Chinese repeats the verb from the question instead of using a word like "yes". So the question 试过了吗？ gets the answer 试过了.

🇨🇳 Landlords often ask this first, expecting you to have tried the simple fixes before they send someone. Having this answer ready shows you've done your part.

💬 Adding 器 "device" to a word turns it into a machine: 热水 + 器 gives you water heater. You'll see the same ending in 充电器 "charger."

💬 把 (bǎ) lets you put the thing being handled before the verb: 我把 + thing + verb. For example, 我把门关了 "I closed the door".

💬 又 (yòu) means "again" for something that has already happened. For a repeat that hasn't happened yet, use 再 (zài) instead, as in 再给我打电话.

💬 To say something isn't there, use 没有, never 不有: 没有网 "there's no internet."

💬 还是 (hái shi) here means "still": things are the same despite what you tried. Be careful, because in a question with two choices the same word means "or".

💬 看 (kàn) usually means "look", but here it means "check". 也 (yě) "also" always goes before the verb, never at the end of the sentence the way "too" does in English.

💬 没问题 (méi wèn tí) is also the everyday way to say "no problem" or "sure" when someone asks you for something.

🇨🇳 师傅 (shī fu) is the polite way to address any skilled tradesperson, such as a plumber, electrician or taxi driver. Call them 师傅 directly when they arrive.

💬 上 means "last" and 下 means "next": 下个月 "next month", 上个星期 "last week".

💬 To say how many times you did something, put the count after the verb: 修过一次, 去过两次 "have been twice". The 一 in 一次 is read (yí) because a falling tone follows it.

🇨🇳 师傅 (shī fu) is the respectful way to address any tradesperson, such as a repairman, plumber or taxi driver. Use it to call them directly too: "师傅, ...".

💬 Although it looks like "Is it?", 是吗？ works as a mild reaction, like "Oh really?". It doesn't actually ask for confirmation.

💬 Adding 好 after a verb means the job got finished properly, not just attempted. 修了 is "repaired", while 修好了 is "repaired successfully".

💬 Saying a verb twice makes it light and casual, like "have a quick look". It works with other verbs too: 试试 "give it a try".

💬 Time words like 明天 go before the verb, right after the person: 我明天..., never at the end of the sentence. 再 (zài) marks a repeat that's still to come.

💬 太...了 usually means "too", but around a thank-you or a compliment it just means "so much". 太好了 is "great!".

💬 In Chinese you don't phone someone directly. You "给 someone 打电话", with the person placed before the verb.

🇨🇳 This is a friendly, standard way for a landlord to close the call. It signals they're open to hearing from you, so you can call again if the fix fails.