How to use 要
要 + Verb
要 before a verb can express a wish or intention to carry out an action. The subject identifies who wants to act, and the following verb phrase names the action. Depending on context, the statement may communicate a fairly definite plan rather than only an idea that has crossed the speaker's mind.
想 also expresses wanting to do something, but it often presents the desire more gently or tentatively. Neither word has a single translation for every situation. 要 can additionally indicate necessity or an impending event in other constructions. Read the surrounding words and the practical situation before deciding whether “want,” “intend,” or another English expression best conveys the meaning.
Examples with pinyin and English
他要学中文。
He wants to study Chinese.
宝宝要睡觉。
The baby wants to sleep.
早饭我要吃肉。
For breakfast I want to eat meat.
今天很累，我要休息。
Today I'm very tired. I want to rest.
What to remember
- Put 要 before the intended action.
- 要 can express a firm intention.
- 想 often makes a wish sound gentler.
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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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