Expressing "if… then…" with "yaoshi"

"要是..., 就..." (yàoshi..., jiù...) is one of several ways to convey "If... Then..." It is very similar to 如果..., 就... in usage and formality. However, it is important to note that 要是 is considered to be even more informal (and is usually left more to spoken Chinese) than the common 如果 and used more frequently in the northern areas of China.

Structure

要是 + Statement + 就 + Result

Examples

• 要是 你 不去 上班 , 老板 就 会 解雇 你!If you don't go to work, your boss will fire you!
• 要是 我 不 现在 开始 工作， 我 就 不 能 按时 完成。If I don't start this work now, there's no way I'll be able to finish it on time.
• 要是 他 不 来，我们 就 走 吧。If he doesn't come, we'll have to go.

See also

• "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"
• "If… then…" with "jiaru"
• "If… then…" with "jiashi"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 246) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 278) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 41-2) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 502)→buy