Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā zhǔnbèi zài yīyuàn zhù liǎng tiān, dàjiā kěyǐ qù kàn tā. - She plans to stay in the hospital for two days; everyone can go visit her.

In this sentence, 准备 means “plan/intend to.” It can also mean “to prepare (things),” but with a verb phrase after it (like 在医院住两天) it conveys intention.

Could I use 打算, 要, or 会 instead of 准备? What’s the difference?

打算: plan/intend (very similar to 准备 here).
要: going to/need to; often sounds more definite or necessary.
会: will/likely to; a prediction rather than a plan.
All are possible, with slight nuance differences.

Why is it 在医院住 and not 住在医院? Are both correct?

Both are grammatical. The common, natural order for a short stay is 在医院 + 住 + 时长 (location before the verb, duration after). 住在医院两天 is possible, but 住在 often feels more “reside/live (at),” so it’s more typical for longer stays (e.g., 住在北京三年).

Could I just say 住院两天 instead of 在医院住两天?

Yes. 住院 means “to be hospitalized.” 她准备住院两天 is concise and natural when you mean formal hospitalization.

What grammar is 住两天 showing?

It’s a duration complement: Verb + duration (here, 住 + 两天) states how long the action/state lasts. No preposition like “for” is used.

Why isn’t there 了 in 住两天? Should it be 住了两天?

Without 了 it describes a future plan. 住了两天 reports a completed stay. If you want to announce a new permission, you can add sentence-final 了 to the second clause: 大家可以去看她了 (“now you can go visit her”).

Why 两 instead of 二 in 两天?

两 is used before measure words/units (people, days, etc.): 两天, 两个人. 二 is for counting, phone numbers, and ordinals (第二). In everyday speech, 两 is the default before classifiers and units.

Is 天 acting like a measure word? Do I need 个?

Yes, 天 is the time unit here; you don’t add 个. Say 两天, not 两个天. A more formal written alternative is 两日.

Does 住两天 mean exactly 48 hours?

It’s approximate by default. For “about,” say 两天左右 or 两三天. For exactness, add words like 整整两天.

What does 看 mean here? Is 看她 “see her” or “visit her”?

Context makes 看 mean “visit (someone),” especially with hospitals. More formal: 看望她/探望她/探病. Note that 看病 means “see a doctor,” not “visit a patient.”

Why add 去 before 看? Could I say 大家可以看她? What about 来看她?

去 highlights going to where she is; it makes “go visit her” explicit. 大家可以看她 can sound like “you may look at her,” so 去看她 is clearer. Use 来看她 if the visit is toward the speaker’s location (or you’re at/with her).

Difference between 可以 and 能 in 大家可以去看她?

可以 = permission/allowed or possibility given circumstances (default for invites/permissions). 能 = ability/capability. 大家能去看她 tends to mean “everyone is able to go,” not “may go.”

Is the second clause giving permission or making a suggestion?

It can read as either a mild invitation or stating permission. To make a suggestion, add 吧: 大家可以去看她吧. To emphasize new permission, add 了: 大家可以去看她了.

Why repeat 她 at the end? Can I drop it?

Chinese typically keeps the object explicit; 大家可以去看她 is normal. Dropping it (大家可以去看) is usually odd unless the object is extremely clear from the immediate context.

Can I say 大家可以去看看她 or 看一下她? What’s the nuance?

Yes. 看看/看一下 softens the tone and suggests a brief, casual visit. It’s friendly and common.

Is 她准备住两天在医院 an acceptable word order?

No. Put the location before the verb and the duration after: 在医院住两天. The natural order is “location/adverbial + verb + duration.”

Should I use 着 with 住 (e.g., 住着) to show a continuous state?

Not here. 住 already denotes the state of staying/lodging. 着 is used for ongoing background states (like 门开着) and isn’t used in this future-plan context.

Any pronunciation tips (tone sandhi)?

可以 is 3–3, pronounced with sandhi as 2–3: kéyǐ.
两 is third tone: liǎng; 两天 = liǎng tiān.
大家 = dàjiā; 医院 = yīyuàn; 准备 = zhǔnbèi.

Does 大家 include the speaker?

Often yes, but it’s context-dependent. 大家 can mean “everyone (you all/us all).” In announcements to a group, it typically addresses “you all.”

What’s the difference between 住 and 待/呆 for “stay”?

住 is for lodging/spending nights and hospitalization (most natural here). 待/呆 (dāi) is “hang around/stay (somewhere)” in a general sense. In hospital contexts, prefer 住 or 住院.

Can I say 在一家医院住两天? What does 一家 add?

Yes. 一家 is the classifier for establishments like hospitals. 在一家医院住两天 implies “at a (certain) hospital,” while 在医院住两天 just states the location generally.

How do I say “She has been in the hospital for two days (and is still there)”?

Use the “了…了” pattern: 她在医院住了两天了 (ongoing). If the stay is finished, drop the final 了: 她在医院住了两天.