Telling my landlord the hot water is broken: Scheduling a plumber for repair

💬 来 before another action means "come and do it": 来修 is "come to fix", and 来看看 is "come and take a look". Swap in any action after 来.

💬 Chinese strings actions together in the order they happen. First 找 "find", then 来 "come", then 修 "fix". You don't need a word like "to" or "so that" between them.

🇨🇳 In China the landlord usually arranges and pays for repairs like this. Hearing 我找师傅来修 means you don't need to hunt for a plumber yourself.

🇨🇳 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.

💬 Question words stay where the answer would go. 什么时候 "when" sits right before the verb, just like 明天 would: 他明天来 becomes 他什么时候来？.

💬 Tack 可以吗？ onto any suggestion to turn it into a polite yes/no question: 现在可以吗？ "Is now okay?"

💬 上午 (shàng wǔ) is morning until noon, and 下午 (xià wǔ) is afternoon. Think of 上 "up/before" and 下 "down/after" noon 午.

💬 要 here means "have to" or "need to", not "want". Context tells you which: 我要上班 is an obligation, not a wish.

💬 Time words like 上午 can go at the very front of the sentence, before "I", to set the scene. 我上午要上班 means the same thing.

💬 行吗？ works just like 可以吗？ and is a little more casual. Put it after any time or plan to check if it works: 周末行吗？ "Is the weekend okay?"

🇨🇳 行 (xíng) on its own is a quick, very common "OK, works for me". It's especially common in northern China and is fine with a landlord.

💬 Chinese stacks time from biggest to smallest: day, then part of day, then hour. So it's 明天 + 下午 + 三点, the reverse of English "3 pm tomorrow".

💬 那就 (nà jiù) means "then let's go with". Use it to lock in a decision: 那就明天 "tomorrow, then".

💬 The order is fixed: who, then when, then where, then the action. That gives 我 + 三点 + 在家 "at home" + 等他. Keep time and place before the verb, never after it as in English.

💬 There is no word for "when" here. 他到了 "he's arrived" placed before another action is enough to mean "once he arrives".

💬 给你 "to you" comes before the verb. That makes 给你打电话 literally "to you make a call". Swap the person: 给他打电话 "call him".

🇨🇳 Tradespeople in China almost always phone when they're downstairs or at the gate rather than knocking unannounced. Keep your phone on around the agreed time.

🇨🇳 This is the standard polite thanks for anyone doing you a favor, and it works better here than a plain 谢谢. Using 您 adds respect for the landlord.

🇨🇳 没事 (méi shì) is the everyday reply to thanks or apologies, like "no worries". It's also used to reassure someone that everything's fine.