Breakdown of tā dàizhe kǒuzhào qù gōngsī, gēn jīnglǐ shuō zìjǐ xiǎng qǐngjià liǎng tiān.
Questions & Answers about tā dàizhe kǒuzhào qù gōngsī, gēn jīnglǐ shuō zìjǐ xiǎng qǐngjià liǎng tiān.
Why is it 戴着口罩 and not just 戴口罩?
着 after a verb often shows an ongoing state.
So:
- 戴口罩 = wear a mask / put on a mask, more neutral
- 戴着口罩 = with a mask on / wearing a mask
In this sentence, 戴着口罩去公司 emphasizes the condition she is in while going to the company: she goes there with the mask on.
This is very common in Chinese:
- 拿着手机走路 = walk while holding a phone
- 开着门睡觉 = sleep with the door open
So 着 here is not about a completed action. It shows a continuing state.
How is 着 pronounced here?
In 戴着, 着 is pronounced zhe and is usually neutral in tone.
So it sounds like:
- dài zhe
This is one of the common pronunciations of 着. In other contexts, the same character can be pronounced differently, such as zháo or zhuó, but here it is the aspect particle zhe.
Why is there no subject before 跟经理说? Who is doing that action?
The subject is still 她.
Chinese often keeps the subject only once when the same person does a series of actions. So this sentence is understood as:
- 她戴着口罩去公司
- 她跟经理说自己想请假两天
English often repeats the subject more, but Chinese commonly leaves it out when it is clear from context.
What does 跟 mean here? Does it mean with?
Here 跟 means to or with, depending on how you translate it naturally.
In 跟经理说, it means speak to the manager or say to the manager.
So:
- 跟他说 = say to him / talk with him
- 跟老师讲 = speak to the teacher
跟 often introduces the person you are interacting with. In many cases, English will translate it as to rather than with, even though the basic word often means with.
Why is it 说自己想请假两天? What does 自己 mean here?
自己 means oneself / self.
Here it refers back to the subject, so 自己 means she herself. The sentence means that she told the manager that she wanted to take leave for two days.
In this sentence, 自己 most naturally refers to 她, the main subject.
Chinese uses 自己 a lot to make it clear that the reference goes back to the subject of the sentence or clause.
For example:
- 我觉得自己很累 = I feel that I am very tired
- 他告诉老师自己没准备好 = He told the teacher that he himself was not ready
Sometimes 自己 can be ambiguous in longer sentences, but here it is straightforward.
Could the sentence just say 她跟经理说想请假两天 without 自己?
Yes, that would also be natural.
- 跟经理说想请假两天
- 跟经理说自己想请假两天
Both work.
Adding 自己 makes the reference a bit more explicit and can sound slightly more formal or careful. Without 自己, the meaning is still usually clear from context.
So 自己 is not absolutely required here, but it is perfectly normal.
Why is it 两天 and not 二天?
In Mandarin, 两 is usually used before measure words, and 天 here functions like a measure word for days.
So you normally say:
- 两天 = two days
- 两个人 = two people
- 两本书 = two books
Using 二天 in standard Mandarin sounds unnatural here.
A simple rule for learners is:
- use 二 for counting, math, phone numbers, dates in some cases
- use 两 before measure words
Since 天 is being counted as a duration unit, 两天 is the normal form.
What exactly does 请假 mean?
请假 means to ask for leave, to request time off, or to take leave after asking permission.
It is commonly used for:
- asking for sick leave
- asking for personal leave
- taking time off from work or school with permission
Examples:
- 我想请假一天。 = I want to take one day off.
- 他因为生病请假了。 = He took leave because he was sick.
So 想请假两天 means she wants to request two days off.
Is 请假两天 natural? I thought Chinese says 请两天假.
Yes, 请两天假 is the more common and more standard word order.
So these are both understandable:
- 请两天假 = very common
- 请假两天 = understandable, but less common
In everyday speech, many native speakers would more likely say:
- 她戴着口罩去公司,跟经理说自己想请两天假。
That version sounds especially natural.
So if you are learning what to say yourself, 请两天假 is a very useful pattern to remember.
Why is there no tense marker? Is this present, past, or future?
Chinese does not mark tense the way English does.
This sentence by itself could fit different time frames depending on context:
- past: she went to the company and told the manager...
- present/habitual story narration
- future plan in some contexts
What Chinese often marks more clearly is:
- completion
- ongoing state
- change of state
- context-based time reference
Here:
- 戴着 shows a state
- there is no 了, so completion is not specifically marked
If you wanted to make it clearly completed, you might say something like:
- 她戴着口罩去了公司,跟经理说自己想请两天假。
Even then, the exact time still depends a lot on context.
Why is 去公司 used without something like the? Should it be 去公司 or 去公司里?
去公司 is completely natural.
Chinese does not use articles like a or the, so 公司 can mean:
- the company
- a company
- her company / the office
depending on context.
Also, 去公司 usually means go to work / go to the company office. You do not need 里 here.
Compare:
- 去公司 = go to the company / go to the office
- 在公司里 = in the company / inside the company
So 去公司 is the normal form.
Why is the sentence connected with a comma instead of a word like then?
Chinese often links actions by simply putting them in sequence, sometimes with a comma in writing.
So this pattern:
- A,B
- do A, then do B
is very common.
Here the order is:
- she goes to the company wearing a mask
- she tells the manager she wants to take two days off
You could add a connector such as 然后, but it is not necessary:
- 她戴着口罩去公司,然后跟经理说自己想请两天假。
Without 然后, the sentence is still natural and often a bit smoother.
Is 说 the best verb here? Could it be 告诉 instead?
Yes, 告诉 could also work, but the structure would change slightly.
Current sentence:
- 跟经理说自己想请两天假
- speak to the manager, saying she wants two days off
With 告诉:
- 告诉经理自己想请两天假
- tell the manager that she wants two days off
Both are natural.
The difference is:
- 说 focuses on the act of speaking
- 告诉 more clearly means tell/inform
So both are acceptable, but 告诉经理 is a bit more directly like English tell the manager.
Could this whole idea be expressed more directly in Chinese?
Yes. A more compact and very natural version would be:
- 她戴着口罩去公司,向经理请两天假。
This means she went to the company wearing a mask and asked the manager for two days off.
Another natural version is:
- 她戴着口罩去公司,跟经理说她想请两天假。
The original sentence is grammatical and understandable, but in real usage many speakers would choose one of these slightly smoother alternatives depending on the situation.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning ChineseMaster Chinese — from tā dàizhe kǒuzhào qù gōngsī, gēn jīnglǐ shuō zìjǐ xiǎng qǐngjià liǎng tiān to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions