wǒ xiǎng zū yí gè lí gōngsī bù yuǎn de fángzi.

A helpful way to parse it is:

• 我 = I
• 想 = want to / would like to
• 租 = rent
• 一个 = one + classifier, meaning a
• 离公司不远的 = that is not far from the company
• 房子 = house / apartment / place to live

So the structure is:

• 我 想 租 [一个 离公司不远的 房子]
• I want to rent [a house/apartment that is not far from the company].

The long part before 房子 is describing what kind of 房子 you want.

Yes, 想 can mean both to think and to want.

In this sentence, 想 + verb usually means want to do something:

• 我想租... = I want to rent...

Compare:

• 我想你。 = I miss you / I’m thinking about you.
• 我想一想。 = I’ll think about it.
• 我想租房子。 = I want to rent a place.

So the meaning depends on what comes after 想. When it is followed by another verb, it often means want to.

In Mandarin, when you count or specify many nouns, you usually need a measure word or classifier between the number and the noun.

So:

• 一 = one
• 个 = a general classifier
• 一个房子 = one house / a house

This is very different from English, where we can just say one house without an extra word.

个 is the most common general classifier, but some nouns have more specific classifiers. In everyday speech, people often use 个 even when another classifier may be more standard.

This is a very common pronunciation rule.

一 normally has the first tone: yī.
But its tone changes depending on the tone of the next syllable.

Basic rule:

• before a 4th-tone syllable, 一 becomes 2nd tone: yí
• before a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone syllable, it usually becomes 4th tone: yì
• when said alone or emphasized, it stays yī

Here, learners often notice that the written pinyin may show yí or they may hear a reduced pronunciation depending on how 个 is spoken. In careful citation form, 个 is gè (4th tone), so 一 becomes yí.

So:

• 一个 is commonly written/pronounced as yí ge in connected speech

Also, 个 is often pronounced lightly, almost like a neutral tone, so native speech may sound softer than the full dictionary tones suggest.

Another useful tone rule:

• 不 is normally bù (4th tone)
• before another 4th-tone syllable, it changes to bú

Examples:

• 不是 → bú shì
• 不要 → bú yào

But in this sentence:

• 不远
• 远 is yuǎn, a 3rd-tone syllable

So 不 stays bù:

• bù yuǎn

Good question. 离 has more than one use.

In this sentence, 离 means from in the sense of distance:

• 离公司不远 = not far from the company

A very common pattern is:

• A 离 B 近 / 远
• A is near / far from B

Examples:

• 我家离学校很近。 = My home is very close to the school.
• 这里离地铁站远吗？ = Is this place far from the subway station?

So here, 离 is not leave. It is part of a distance expression.

In Mandarin, descriptions usually come before the noun.

So instead of:

• a house that is not far from the company

Mandarin says:

• [not far from the company] + 的 + house
• 离公司不远的房子

This is a very important pattern:

• [descriptive phrase] + 的 + noun

Examples:

• 很大的房子 = a very big house
• 我喜欢的书 = the book that I like
• 离地铁站很近的公寓 = an apartment that is very close to the subway station

So the word order is normal Mandarin grammar.

的 links a description to a noun.

In this sentence:

• 离公司不远 = not far from the company
• 离公司不远的房子 = a house that is not far from the company

So 的 is turning the phrase 离公司不远 into something that modifies 房子.

A simple way to think of it:

• 的 often works a bit like that is / which is / -’s, depending on context.

More examples:

• 红色的车 = a red car
• 便宜的衣服 = cheap clothes
• 我昨天买的书 = the book that I bought yesterday

Because 离 is the standard way to express physical distance from a place.

So:

• 离公司近 = close to the company
• 离公司不远 = not far from the company

Using 近 by itself before 公司 would not express the same structure naturally.

The pattern is:

• 离 + place + 近 / 远
• 离 + place + 不近 / 不远

This is one of the most common ways to talk about location convenience.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• 离公司很近的房子 = a house very close to the company
• 离公司不远的房子 = a house not far from the company

不远 is a bit softer and less strong. It often sounds practical and natural, especially when someone is talking about housing and commuting.

In many situations, Mandarin likes this kind of not + adjective expression:

• 不贵 = not expensive
• 不大 = not big
• 不远 = not far

It can sound more moderate than making a strong positive claim.

房子 literally means a dwelling or place to live, often translated as house, but in real usage it can be broader than English house.

Depending on context, it may refer to:

• a house
• an apartment
• a place to live

So in this sentence, if someone is looking for a rental near work, 房子 can naturally be understood as a place to rent, not only a standalone house.

If you want to be more specific, you could say:

• 公寓 = apartment
• 房间 = room
• 住的地方 = place to live

Yes, you can.

• 我想租一个离公司不远的房子。
• 我想租离公司不远的房子。

Both are natural.

The version with 一个 feels like:

• I want to rent a ...
• one suitable place

The version without 一个 can sound a little more general:

• I want to rent housing / a place that is not far from the company

In everyday conversation, both are common.

Because the distance pattern is:

• 离 + place + adjective

So:

• 离公司不远
• not far from the company

The location being measured from comes directly after 离.

Compare:

• 离学校很近 = very close to the school
• 离我家很远 = very far from my home
• 离这儿不远 = not far from here

In dictionaries, 个 is listed as gè.
But in very common combinations like 一个, 这个, 那个, native speakers often pronounce 个 lightly, almost with a neutral tone.

So in careful learning materials, you may see:

• yí gè

But in natural speech, it often sounds more like:

• yí ge

Both are useful to know:

• gè = dictionary tone
• ge = very common spoken reduction

It is very natural and everyday.

A native speaker could easily say this when talking about finding a place to live.

It sounds practical and normal, especially in situations like:

• discussing apartment hunting
• talking to an agent
• talking with coworkers or friends
• explaining what kind of place you want

It is neither especially formal nor especially casual.

Yes, but the tone changes slightly.

• 我想租一个离公司不远的房子。 = I’d like to rent a place not far from the company.
• 我要租一个离公司不远的房子。 = I want / need to rent a place not far from the company.

想 often sounds softer and more like would like to.
要 can sound more direct and stronger.

For many learners, 想 is the safer and more polite choice in this kind of sentence.

A few things:

1. 一个 is usually said smoothly as yí ge
2. 不远 stays bù yuǎn
3. The descriptive chunk 离公司不远的 should be grouped together
4. In natural speech, some tones may sound less isolated than in word-by-word pinyin

A natural rhythm is:

• 我想租 / 一个 / 离公司不远的 / 房子

This helps you avoid pausing in unnatural places.

A good pronunciation goal is not to say each word separately, but to treat 离公司不远的房子 as one unit.

Absolutely. This is a very useful sentence pattern:

• 我想 + verb + 一个/一间/一套 + 离 + place + 不远/很近 + 的 + noun

Examples:

• 我想找一个离学校不远的公寓。 = I want to find an apartment not far from the school.

• 我想买一套离地铁站很近的房子。 = I want to buy a home very close to the subway station.

• 我想租一间离公司很近的办公室。 = I want to rent an office close to the company.

This sentence is a great model for talking about location preferences.