How to use 以为
Subj. + 以为⋯⋯
以为 introduces an assumption that the speaker now questions, corrects, or treats as mistaken. The following clause states the belief itself, while the surrounding conversation supplies the contrast with reality. This makes 以为 useful when discovering that a person’s identity, intentions, or situation differs from what you expected. It often corresponds to an English past-tense “thought.”
The mistaken belief does not have to concern the past: it can be about a current situation or an expected future event. Negative commands can warn someone against an assumption, and rhetorical questions can challenge it. For a neutral opinion you still hold, another thinking verb may be more appropriate than 以为.
Examples with pinyin and English
我以为他是德国人。
I thought he was German.
我们以为你不在家。
We thought you weren't at home.
你以为你是谁？
Who do you think you are?
同事们都以为我二十岁。
My colleagues all thought I was twenty.
What to remember
- Put the assumed proposition after 以为.
- Context normally questions or corrects the assumption.
- The belief can concern past, present, or future.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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