Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 想 AND 要
想 (xiǎng) and 要 (yào) can both mean “want”. However, they each have other meanings attached to them.
- 想 can mean “to miss” when followed by a noun.
- 要 can mean “going to (do something)” or “want to”.
想 AND 要 FOLLOWED BY A NOUN
Both 想 (xiǎng) and 要 (yào) can be followed by a noun but mean different things. Let’s have a look at them separately:
要 with a noun
要 (yào) followed by a noun is normally used for commands like when you want to buy something or to order food.
PATTERN
Subject + 要 + Noun
Your tone when using this structure is very important because it can come off as impolite.
For visual learners, imagine a child having an outburst saying, “我要妈妈! 我要妈妈!” (wǒ yào mā ma! wǒ yào mā ma!) (I want my mother! I want my mother!).
This child’s tone is usually demanding and somewhat impolite.
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我要茶。wǒ yào chá. | wǒ yào chá. | I want tea. (ordering at a restaurant) |
| 你们要不要米饭？ | nǐmen yào bu yào mǐfàn? | Do you want rice? |
| 谢谢，我什么都不要。 | xièxiè, wǒ shénme dōu bú yào. | Thank you, I don’t want/need anything. |
想 with a noun
想 (xiǎng) followed by a noun is normally used for expressing the fact of missing something, or someone.
In the structure: Subject + 想 + Noun
想 means “to miss”
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我想你。 | wǒ xiǎng nǐ. | I miss you. |
| 我女朋友回国了，我很想她。 | wǒ nǚ péngyou huí guó le, wǒ hěn xiǎng tā. | My girlfriend returned home. I miss her very much. |
| 你回美国以后，会想中国菜吗? | nǐ huí měiguó yǐhòu, huì xiǎng zhōngguó cài ma? | Will you miss Chinese food after you go back to the USA? |
想 AND 要 FOLLOWED BY A VERB
When followed by a verb, 想 and 要 have similar meanings.
However, 要 shows more urgency and is at times more demanding while 想 is a bit more polite.
In this structure, think of 要 as “want to” and 想 as “would like to”.
要 as “want to”
PATTERN
Subject + 要 + Verb
Like the previous structure of 要 (yào), one’s tone is very important.
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我要休息。 | wǒ yào xiūxi. | I want to rest. |
| 我要喝咖啡。 | wǒ yào hē kāfēi. | I want to drink coffee. |
| 你们要不要出去吃? | nǐmen yào bu yào chūqù chī? | Do you want to go out to eat? |
想 as “would like to”
PATTERN
Subject + 想 + Verb
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 你想去吗? | nǐ xiǎng qù ma? | Would you like to go? |
| 我想跟他看电影。 | wǒ xiǎng gēn tā kàn diànyǐng. | I would like to watch a movie with him. |
| 他不想回家吗？ | tā bùxiǎng huí jiā ma? | Doesn’t he want to go home? |
EXPRESSING “GOING TO” WITH 要
Here, 要 (yào) is used to indicate plans for the near future.
想 (xiǎng) can’t be used in this way.
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 星期六，我要去北京。 | xīngqīliù, wǒ yào qù běijīng. | I have to go to Beijing on Saturday. |
| 毕业以后，你要跟父母住在一起吗？ | bìyè yǐhòu, nǐ yào gēn fùmǔ zhù zài yīqǐ ma? | Are you going to live together with your parents after graduation? |
| 下个月，她要找新工作。 | xià gè yuè, tā yào zhǎo xīn gōngzuò. | She is going to look for a new job next month. |
EXPRESSING “TO WANT” WITH 想要
When the two characters are combined, they mean “to want”.
Nouns or verbs can be used after 想要.
PATTERN
Subject + 想要 + Noun/Verb
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 你想要什么礼物? | nǐ xiǎng yào shénme lǐwù? | What gift do you want? |
| 她想要找一个有钱的男朋友. | tā xiǎng yào zhǎo yīgè yǒu qián de nán péngyou. | She wants to find a rich boyfriend. |
| 他想要帮你找一个更好的工作. | tā xiǎng yào bāng nǐ zhǎo yīgè gèng hǎo de gōngzuò. | He wants to help you find a better job. |
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FAQs
What is the difference between 想 and 要?
Followed by a noun:
要 (yào) followed by a noun is normally used for commands like when you want to buy something or to order food.
想 (xiǎng) followed by a noun is normally used for expressing the fact of missing something, or someone.
Followed by a verb:
When followed by a verb, 想 and 要 have similar meanings.
However, 要 shows more urgency and is at times more demanding while 想 is a bit more polite.
In this case, think of 要 as “want to” and 想 as “would like to”.
How to use 想?
想 (xiǎng) with a noun:
Subject + 想 + Noun
Examples:
我想你。 wǒ xiǎng nǐ. I miss you.
我女朋友回国了，我很想她。 wǒ nǚ péngyou huí guó le, wǒ hěn xiǎng tā. My girlfriend returned home. I miss her very much.
想 (xiǎng) with a verb:
We can think of the translation “would like to”
Subject + 想 (xiǎng) + Verb
Examples:
你想去吗? nǐ xiǎng qù ma? Would you like to go?
我想跟他看电影。 wǒ xiǎng gēn tā kàn diànyǐng. I would like to watch a movie with him.
How to use 要?
要 (yào) with a noun:
Subject + 要 (yào) + Noun
Your tone when using this structure is very important because it can come off as impolite.
Examples:
我要茶。wǒ yào chá. wǒ yào chá. I want tea. (ordering at a restaurant)
你们要不要米饭？ nǐmen yào bu yào mǐfàn? Do you want rice?
要 (yào) with a verb:
We can translate by “want to”
Subject + 要 (yào) + Verb.
Examples:
我要休息。 wǒ yào xiūxi. I want to rest.
我要喝咖啡。 wǒ yào hē kāfēi. I want to drink coffee.
What is the difference between 不 and 没?
The main difference between 不 and 没 is that 不 is used for present and future sentences.
没 is solely used for sentences written in the past tense.
Both characters have many uses, check out our full article for more explanation and sentence examples.
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