qǐng jiǎnchá shuǐlóngtóu hé zǒngfá.

请 is the polite marker here, similar to please in English.

In this sentence, the pattern is:

请 + verb phrase

So:

请检查水龙头和总阀。
= Please check the faucet and the main valve.

A few useful notes:

• 请 makes a command/request sound more polite.
• It often appears in instructions, notices, customer service language, and formal requests.
• In other contexts, 请 can also mean to invite or to treat someone to something, but here it simply means please.

Examples:

• 请坐。 = Please sit.
• 请等一下。 = Please wait a moment.

In Chinese, the subject is often omitted when it is obvious from context.

This sentence is an instruction or request, so the understood subject is basically you:

• (你) 请检查水龙头和总阀。

But saying 你 is not necessary. In fact, leaving it out often sounds more natural in instructions.

Compare:

• 请检查水龙头和总阀。 = Please check the faucet and main valve.
• 请你检查水龙头和总阀。 = Please, you check the faucet and main valve.

The second version is still correct, but the first is more neutral and common in written instructions.

The sentence follows a very common Chinese pattern:

请 + verb + object

Here it is broken down:

• 请 = please
• 检查 = check / inspect
• 水龙头和总阀 = the faucet and the main valve

So the structure is:

请 + 检查 + 水龙头和总阀

Chinese word order is often similar to English here:

• Please + check + the faucet and the main valve

There is no extra word needed between the verb and its object.

检查 means to inspect, examine, or check carefully.
看 usually means to look at or to watch.

So:

• 看水龙头 = look at the faucet
• 检查水龙头 = check/inspect the faucet

In this sentence, the speaker wants someone to verify whether something is okay, working, leaking, open, closed, etc. That is why 检查 is the better word.

This is a common distinction:

• 看 focuses on the act of looking
• 检查 focuses on examining for a problem or condition

和 means and here. It connects the two nouns:

• 水龙头
• 总阀

So:

水龙头和总阀 = the faucet and the main valve

A useful point for learners: 和 is mainly used to connect nouns or noun phrases.

Good examples:

• 茶和咖啡 = tea and coffee
• 老师和学生 = teachers and students

It is not always used exactly like English and for connecting full clauses. In this sentence, though, it is a straightforward noun connector.

Also, in this sentence it is pronounced hé.

Yes, 水龙头 literally breaks down as:

• 水 = water
• 龙头 = dragon head

But as a whole word, 水龙头 simply means faucet or tap.

This is one of those Chinese words whose literal parts sound strange in English, but native speakers do not think about the literal image every time they use it. It is just the normal everyday word for faucet.

So you should learn 水龙头 as one vocabulary item, not as a phrase you need to interpret word by word each time.

总阀 means main valve or main shutoff valve.

It breaks down like this:

• 总 = main / overall / general
• 阀 = valve

So 总阀 is the main control valve for water, gas, or another system, depending on context. In this sentence, since 水龙头 is mentioned, it most likely refers to the main water valve.

You may also hear more specific expressions such as:

• 总水阀 = main water valve
• 总阀门 = main valve

But 总阀 is a perfectly normal concise form.

Yes. It is a polite command, request, or instruction.

Because it starts with 请, it sounds courteous rather than harsh. In English, the tone is like:

• Please check ...
• Please inspect ...

Without 请, the sentence becomes more direct:

• 检查水龙头和总阀。 = Check the faucet and main valve.

That version can sound like a plain instruction on a checklist, a maintenance note, or a work order. Adding 请 softens it.

Yes, absolutely.

请你检查水龙头和总阀。 is grammatical and natural. It explicitly includes you.

The difference is mainly in style:

• 请检查水龙头和总阀。
  More concise; common in written instructions or neutral requests.

• 请你检查水龙头和总阀。
  Slightly more personal; clearly directed at one person or group.

Both are correct.

Here is the pronunciation with tones:

• 请 — qǐng (3rd tone)
• 检查 — jiǎnchá (3rd tone + 2nd tone)
• 水龙头 — shuǐlóngtóu (3rd + 2nd + 2nd)
• 和 — hé (2nd tone, in this sentence)
• 总阀 — zǒngfá (3rd + 2nd)

A few pronunciation tips:

• q in qǐng is like a very forward ch sound.
• j in jiǎn is not the English j in job; it is softer.
• ch in chá is aspirated, so there is a strong puff of air.
• zh / ch / sh and j / q / x are different sound groups in Mandarin, so listen carefully to 检查.

Yes. Inspect is a very good translation for 检查 in many contexts.

Possible English renderings include:

• Please check the faucet and the main valve.
• Please inspect the faucet and the main valve.
• Please examine the faucet and the main valve.

The best choice depends on tone:

• check = most natural and general
• inspect = slightly more formal or technical
• examine = possible, but a bit less common in everyday maintenance language

So if the Chinese sentence appears in a repair, maintenance, or safety context, inspect can be an excellent translation.