Auxiliary verb "yao" and its multiple meanings

You probably already know the basic meaning of 要 (yào): "to want." It's actually a quite versatile word, though, and can also take on the meanings of "to need" as well as "will (do something)." In every case, context is crucial for figuring out which meaning someone is trying to express.

要 as "want"

This structure could be used ordering food in a restaurant.

Structure

Subject + 要 + Noun

Examples

• 我 要 一 杯 水。
• 我 要 一份 牛排。
• 我 要 一 杯 咖啡。
• 我 要 一 个 面包。

要 as "want to"

In Chinese, 要 (yào), the verb "to want" doesn't quite function like the English. It means "want to" (similar to 想), but its tone is quite firm.

Structure

Subject + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 我 要 吃饭。 I want to eat.
• 我 要 跟 你 一起 去 。 I want to go with you.
• 我 要 吃 西餐。I want to eat western food.
• 你 要 学 中文。Do you want to study Chinese?
• 我 要 去 泰国。I want to go to Thailand.
• 我 要 买 一 个 新 手机。I want to buy a new cell phone.
• 我 要 在 上海 买 房子。I want to buy an apartment in Shanghai.

要 as "need to"

If you crank the urgency of "to want" up a few notches, you get "to need." The two meanings overlap, creating a fuzzy, "needy" gray area.

Structure

Same structure here.

Subject + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 明天 我们 要 上班 。(logically, most people don't really WANT to work)We need to work tomorrow.
• 你 要 现在 付钱。 (No one WANTS to pay, right?)You need to pay now.
• 我们要用很多钱。
• 我要休息一下。
• 你要有一个好的中文老师。
• 今天很忙，我要加班。
• 你要多吃点水果。
• 你要学会用电脑。
• 明天下雨，你要带雨伞。

要 as "going to"

This use of 要 is like "going to" (similar to 会).

Structure

Again, no change to the structure here.

Subject + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 明年 我 要 去 中国。 (Notice the use of a time word for the future)
• 明天 我 要 去 北京 。(This could also mean "need," depending on context)I
• 星期五 我们 要 开会。
• 12点，我 要 去 吃饭。

Structure 要...了

Structure

要 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 明年 要 毕业 了 。 (Notice the use of a time word for the future)I'm going to graduate next year.
• 圣诞节 要 来 了。Christmas is coming soon.
• 商店 要 关门 了。The store is going to close soon.
• 我 的 手机 要 没 电 了。My cell phone will run out of battery soon.
• 前 女友 告诉 我 她 要 结婚 了。My ex-girlfriend told me that she's going to get a divorce.
• 要 下雨 了，你 记得 带 一 把 伞。It's going to rain, (You) remember to bring an umbrella!
• 孩子 们 很 开心， 因为 他们 很 快 要 去 迪士尼 了。The child is very happy because we are going to go to Disneyland.

Context, context, context

You may have noticed that the meanings can easily overlap. To figure out what is intended, you need to use context. How urgent is the situation? Is it likely to be something the speaker really wants to do? Is it something that's totally going to happen, regardless of anyone's preferences? Most often, a little background knowledge and some common sense are all you need to figure it out. But you definitely need to be aware of the three possible meanings listed above.

See also

• "Would like to" with xiang
• Auxiliary verb "hui" for "will"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 154-5) →buy