zhè gè fángdōng rén hěn hǎo, kěshì tā shuō yājīn bùnéng tài wǎn gěi.

In Mandarin, when you use a demonstrative like 这 (this) or 那 (that) before a noun, you usually need a measure word / classifier in between.

So:

• 这 + 个 + 房东
• this + classifier + landlord

个 is the most common general classifier, especially for people.

So 这个房东 means this landlord.

A few comparisons:

• 这个人 = this person
• 那个老师 = that teacher
• 这个房东 = this landlord

English does not do this, so it feels strange at first, but in Chinese it is very normal.

房东 means landlord or landlady.

It is made up of:

• 房 = house / room
• 东 = owner / host (in this word)

So 房东 is the person who owns the place and rents it out.

Related word:

• 房客 = tenant

In this sentence, 这个房东 means this landlord.

Both can be understood, but 房东人很好 is very natural because 人很好 specifically means the person is nice, kind, decent, or good in character.

So:

• 房东很好 could sound broader: the landlord is good / fine / nice
• 房东人很好 emphasizes the landlord as a person is nice

This pattern is common:

• 他人很好 = He is a very nice person.
• 老师人不错 = The teacher is a pretty nice person.

So in your sentence, 这个房东人很好 means something like:

• This landlord is a really nice person.

Not always.

In beginner Chinese, 很 is often taught as very, but in sentences like 人很好, it often just links the subject and adjective naturally.

In Mandarin, adjectives can act like verbs, and a simple sentence like:

• 她好

can sound incomplete or contrastive, like she is good (as opposed to someone else).

So Chinese often uses 很 before an adjective to make the sentence sound normal:

• 她很好 = She is nice / She is fine.
• 房东人很好 = The landlord is nice.

Sometimes 很 does mean truly very, but sometimes it is just the natural way to state an adjective.

可是 means but.

In this sentence:

• 这个房东人很好，可是她说...
• This landlord is very nice, but she says/said...

可是 and 但是 are very similar, and in many cases they are interchangeable.

• 可是 often sounds a little more conversational.
• 但是 can sound slightly more neutral or formal.

Examples:

• 他很聪明，可是很懒。 = He is smart, but lazy.
• 他很聪明，但是很懒。 = Same basic meaning.

So here, 可是 simply introduces a contrast: the landlord is nice, but she still has a condition about the deposit.

Yes. In spoken Mandarin, 她 and 他 are both pronounced tā.

The difference is only in writing:

• 他 = he
• 她 = she

So the sentence uses 她 because the landlord is female. If the landlord were male, it would be 他.

Important point: in speech, you cannot hear the difference between 他 and 她.

Yes, that is a good way to think about it.

In English, we often say:

• She said that the deposit can't be paid too late.

In Chinese, after 说, the following clause can come directly, without a word for that:

• 她说押金不能太晚给。
• literally: She said deposit cannot too late give.

This is very common in Chinese.

So:

• 她说... = she said... / she says...
• the rest of the sentence is the content of what she said

Chinese often omits words like that when English uses them.

押金 means deposit, especially a security deposit in renting.

It is a common word in housing/rental situations.

Examples:

• 房租 = rent
• 押金 = deposit
• 交押金 = pay a deposit

In your sentence, it refers to the rental deposit that the tenant has to give the landlord.

This is probably the part most learners notice.

The sentence means:

• The deposit can't be given too late
• or more naturally, The deposit can't be paid too late

Let's break it down:

• 押金 = deposit
• 不能 = cannot / must not
• 太晚 = too late
• 给 = give / pay

Chinese often places time-related adverbial expressions before the verb, so:

• 太晚给 = give too late

So the structure is:

• 押金 不能 太晚 给
• deposit cannot too-late give

This sounds unusual in English, but it is normal in Chinese.

A more explicit version could be:

• 押金不能太晚给她。 = The deposit can't be given to her too late.
• 押金不能给得太晚。 = The deposit can't be paid too late.

Your sentence is a natural, conversational way of saying it.

The receiver is understood from context.

Since the sentence is about the landlord, 给 here means give/pay to her, even though 她 is not repeated.

So:

• 押金不能太晚给
  literally = the deposit cannot be given too late

But in context it clearly means:

• the deposit cannot be paid to the landlord too late

Chinese often omits things that are obvious from context.

If the speaker wanted to be more explicit, they could say:

• 押金不能太晚给她。

But leaving it out is very natural if everyone already knows who the money goes to.

Several versions are possible, but they are not all equally natural.

1. 不能太晚给

This is natural and conversational.

• 太晚 acts like an adverbial phrase modifying 给
• it means cannot give it too late

2. 不可以晚给

This is understandable, but less natural here.

• 晚给 = give late
• 太晚给 = give too late

The sentence wants the stronger idea of too late, so 太晚 fits better.

3. 不能给太晚

This sounds less natural because 给 usually wants its timing phrase before it, or the sentence needs a different structure.

A very common alternative is:

• 押金不能给得太晚。

This uses the verb + 得 + complement pattern:

• 给得太晚 = give/pay it too late

That is a very useful pattern to learn.

So these are all related, but the original sentence is a natural spoken way to say it.

This is because of tone sandhi.

Normally:

• 不 is fourth tone: bù

But when 不 comes before another fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone:

• 不 + 能
• bù + néng

Actually 能 is second tone, so wait: in standard pronunciation, 不能 is commonly pronounced bùnéng, not because of fourth-tone sandhi here.
So in this sentence, the pinyin bùnéng is correct.

The special tone change for 不 happens before a fourth-tone syllable, for example:

• 不是 → bú shì
• 不会 → bú huì

Since 能 is second tone, 不能 stays bùnéng.

This is a very common point of confusion for learners, so it is good to notice it.

Chinese verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So 说 by itself can mean:

• say
• says
• said

The exact meaning depends on context.

So:

• 她说押金不能太晚给。

could mean:

• She says the deposit can’t be paid too late.
• She said the deposit couldn’t be paid too late.

If the speaker wants to clearly mark completed past action, they might say:

• 她说了押金不能太晚给。

But even without 了, the meaning is often clear from the situation.

Yes, absolutely.

The basic meaning of 给 is give, but in money situations it often corresponds to English pay.

So here:

• 押金...给
• literally: give the deposit
• natural English: pay the deposit

This is very common in Chinese. For example:

• 给房东钱 = give money to the landlord / pay the landlord
• 给房租 = pay rent

So in this sentence, translating 给 as pay is usually the most natural choice in English.