dāngrán, nǐ xiànzài dǎ diànhuà gěi tā, huòzhě wǒ lái gàosu tā, dōu kěyǐ.

Of course. You can call her now, or I’ll go tell her; either is fine.

Breakdown of dāngrán, nǐ xiànzài dǎ diànhuà gěi tā, huòzhě wǒ lái gàosu tā, dōu kěyǐ.

• 我wǒ: I
• 你nǐ: you
• 现在xiànzài: now
• 都dōu: both
• 可以kěyǐ: can
• 她tā: her
• 来lái: to come
• 打电话dǎdiànhuà: to make a phone call
• 给gěi: to
• 或者huòzhě: or
• 告诉gàosu: to tell
• 当然dāngrán: of course

Questions & Answers about dāngrán, nǐ xiànzài dǎ diànhuà gěi tā, huòzhě wǒ lái gàosu tā, dōu kěyǐ.

Why is 给 used in 打电话给她? Can I say 给她打电话 instead? Which is more natural?

给 marks the recipient (to/for). Both orders are correct:

• 给她打电话 (Mainland-preferred)
• 打电话给她 (very common in Taiwan; also understood in the Mainland)

They mean the same. A very common colloquial variant is 给她打个电话. Avoid forms like 打给她电话 (wrong).

Why use 或者 here instead of 还是? Could I swap them?

General rule: 或者 is for statements; 还是 is for questions. But when you add 都 to mean “whether A or B, it’s fine,” both can work:

• 你现在给她打电话，或者/还是我来告诉她，都可以。 With 都, 还是 no longer forms a question; it reads as “whether A or B.”

How does 都 work with an “or”? Doesn’t 都 mean “both/all”?

Here 都 scopes over the set of alternatives: “Whether A or B, both options are acceptable.” Think of it as a shortened 无论A还是B，都可以 / 不管A还是B，都可以. It does not mean both actions will happen; it means either is acceptable.

What does 来 add in 我来告诉她? Does it literally mean “come”?

Here 来 is a light verb meaning “I’ll take it on / let me do it,” not physical motion.

• 我来告诉她 = “Let me tell her / I’ll handle telling her.”
• 我告诉她 = neutral “I’ll tell her.”
• 让我告诉她 = “Please allow me to tell her” (asking permission).
• 我去告诉她 = “I’ll go (there) and tell her,” focusing on going.

Do I need to repeat 她? Can I drop it in the second clause?

Keep it. 告诉 normally needs an object or content. 或者我来告诉 (with nothing after it) is unnatural. You can either keep the recipient (或者我来告诉她) or specify the content (或者我来告诉她这件事).

How do you pronounce 告诉 correctly—gàosù or gàosu?

• Mainland standard: gàosu (second syllable is neutral tone).
• Taiwan Mandarin often says gàosù (fourth tone on the second syllable). Both are understood; follow the norm for your target variety.

Do I need a measure word with 电话? Should it be 打个电话 or 打一通电话?

No measure word is needed if you just mean “make a call” in general. Use a measure when you mean one call:

• 给她打个电话 / 打一个电话 (colloquial, very common in the Mainland)
• 打一通电话 (also common; especially frequent in Taiwan) Note: 打通电话 means “to get through (successfully connect),” not “make one call.”

Can I say 向她打电话 or 对她打电话?

Not in modern colloquial style. Use 给: 给她打电话 or 打电话给她. In formal writing you might see 向她致电 (“to phone her”), but that’s a set formal expression.

What exactly does 可以 mean here? Could I use 能, 会, or 行 instead?

• 可以 = permitted/acceptable: “Either option is okay.”
• 能 = possible/able; 都能 would stress feasibility, not permission, so it’s less natural here.
• 会 = know how to/learned ability; not appropriate here.
• 行 = okay/works (colloquial). 都行 is a natural casual alternative to 都可以.

What’s the role of 当然 at the start? Is it necessary?

当然 adds reassurance/affirmation (“of course”). It’s optional. You can also say:

• 当然可以。你现在给她打电话，或者我来告诉她，都可以。 Sentence-final particles like 啊/啦 can soften it: 当然啦…

Where do time words like 现在 go? Can I move it?

Time adverbs usually go after the subject and before the verb phrase:

• 你现在打电话给她… You can also front it for emphasis:
• 现在你打电话给她… Putting it at the very end (…你打电话给她现在) sounds unnatural.

Can I replace 告诉 with 跟她说 or 给她说?

• 跟她说 is very common and colloquial; fine here: …或者我来跟她说…
• 给她说 is regional (heard in parts of the North/Northwest). In standard writing, prefer 跟她说 or 告诉她.

Does 都 refer to the people (你 and 我) or to the actions?

To the actions/options. 都 quantifies the set of alternatives just presented: “Either phoning her now (by you) or me telling her—both options are acceptable.” It does not mean both of you will do it.

Can 或者 connect full clauses, not just words?

Yes. 或者 can link words, phrases, or full clauses. 你现在打电话给她，或者我来告诉她 is perfectly natural.

Are there other natural ways to phrase this choice?

Yes:

• 要么你现在给她打电话，要么我来告诉她，都可以。
• 无论你现在给她打电话，还是我来告诉她，都可以。
• 不管你现在给她打电话还是我来告诉她，都行。
• 你现在给她打电话也行，我来告诉她也行。

All are pronounced tā—how do we know which one: 她/他/它?

In speech, context decides. In writing:

• 她 = she/her (female person)
• 他 = he/him (male person; also generic “someone” in some contexts)
• 它 = it (objects/animals) Here 她 makes it clear the recipient is female.

Why are there spaces between words here? How should punctuation look in normal Chinese?

The spaces are just for learners. Standard written Chinese does not insert spaces between words. A normal version is: 当然，你现在打电话给她，或者我来告诉她，都可以。