Difference between revisions of "Wanting to do something with "yao""

Revision as of 09:18, 24 November 2011

The verb 要 (yào) can be used as an auxiliary verb to indicate wanting to do something. The structure is:

Subject + 要 + Verb + Object

Some examples:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-In Chinese, 要 (yào), the verb "to want" doesn't quite function like the English. It means "want to" (like  [["Would like to" with xiang|想]]), but it's tone is very firm, so that can sound more like "going to" (like [[Auxiliary verb "hui" for "will"|会]]). It's specific meaning often depends on context.
+The verb 要 (yào) can be used as an [[auxiliary verb]] to indicate ''wanting to do'' something. The structure is:
+<div class="jiegou">
+Subject + 要 + Verb + Object
+</div>
 Some examples:
@@ Line 5: / Line 11: @@
 <div class="liju">
-* 我 <em>要</em> 吃饭。 <span class="expl">(I want to eat, more of a desire)</span>
+* 我 <em>要</em> 吃饭。
-* 我 明天 <em>要</em> 走 了。  <span class="expl">(I'm going to leave tomorrow, more of an intention)</span>
+* 他 <em>要</em> 学习 中文。
-* 她 <em>要</em> 去 酒吧。<span class="expl">(She wants/is going to go the the bar, possibly a desire or intention, dependent on context)</span>
+* 她 <em>要</em> 去 酒吧。
 </div>
-Note that if the speaker wishes to say "I'd like to", [["Would like to" with xiang|想]] can be used instead of 要. Using 要 instead of 想 is a common mistake for learners of Chinese.
 ==See also==
 *[["Would like to" with xiang]]
 *[[Auxiliary verb "hui" for "will"]]
-*[["Must" modal "dei"]]
 [[Category:A1 grammar points]]
 [[Category:Verbs]]
 [[Category:Auxiliary verbs]]