他现在不在
tā xiànzài bùzài
He's not in right now · trad. 他現在不在
他现在不在 (tā xiànzài bú zài) means 'he's not in right now' or 'he's not present at the moment'. It's a standard and polite way to indicate someone is currently unavailable or not at a specific location.
What does 他现在不在 (tā xiànzài bùzài) mean?
他现在不在 (tā xiànzài bùzài) means “he's not in right now” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “he now not present.”
When to use it
Neutral and polite. It's commonly used when answering a phone call or when someone is looking for another person. For a more direct statement that someone is simply not here, you can say 他不在 (tā bú zài).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like 'tah shyen-ZAI boo ZAI'. Note the tone change for 不 (bù) to bú when followed by the falling tone of 在 (zài).
Other ways to say it
- 他不在tā bùzàihe's not here/in
- 他现在不在这里tā xiànzài bùzài zhèlǐhe's not here right now
- 他出去了tā chūqù lehe went out
Examples
请问李经理在吗？他现在不在。
qǐngwèn Lǐ Jīnglǐ zài ma? tā xiànzài bùzài.
Excuse me, is Manager Li in? He's not in right now.
对不起，他现在不在，请问您有什么事吗？
duìbuqǐ, tā xiànzài bùzài, qǐngwèn nín yǒu shénme shì ma?
Sorry, he's not in right now, may I ask what you need?
他现在不在办公室，你可以给他留言。
tā xiànzài bùzài bàngōngshì, nǐ kěyǐ gěi tā liúyán.
He's not in the office right now, you can leave him a message.
Pro tip: The character 不 (bù) is usually a fourth tone, but it changes to a second tone (bú) when followed by another fourth tone, such as 在 (zài).
Related phrases
请问哪位？ · May i ask who's calling请稍等，我帮您转接 · One moment, i'll transfer you需要留言吗？ · Would you like to leave a message
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