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Daily lessons · Day 18 of 90
Want, would like, plan to
Intentions
Three words sit on a scale from a firm demand to a vague idea. Getting them the right way round is the difference between sounding decisive and sounding abrupt.
要 is firm
A want that is close to a decision, and the normal word at a counter.
Why it works
要 shades from want into will, which is why 我要走了 is not I want to leave but I am leaving. At a shop counter it is neutral and expected, and it does not carry the bluntness that I want does in English. Refusing something is 不用, not needed, rather than 不要, which is closer to don't. 要 was already at work on day 5, ordering a cup of tea. That is this meaning, not a wish.
想 is softer
A wish, a would like, something you are considering.
Why it works
想 on its own also means to think and to miss someone, which is the same idea seen from different angles: your mind is on something. 我想你 is I miss you. In front of another verb, though, it is reliably a soft want, and it is the safer choice whenever you are not at a counter.
打算 is a plan
Something you have actually decided to do, with steps behind it.
Why it works
吧 at the end of a sentence is worth more than it looks. It softens a statement into a suggestion, which is how Chinese makes a proposal without a separate let's. 我们去 is we are going; 我们去吧 is let's go. It also softens an instruction into something closer to a request.
Plans are made late and changed freely
Arrangements in China are often confirmed the same day rather than a week ahead, and a plan agreed on Monday for Saturday may well be re-confirmed on Saturday morning. It is not flakiness, it is a different default. Send a message on the day to check, and expect the same from others.
Carried over from earlier days
Say each one out loud before you look at the English.
Today’s words 12
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 6 right to finish the day.
Which is the softest of the three?
- 想 xiǎng
- 要 yào
- 打算 dǎsuàn
- 需要 xūyào
Show the answer
想 xiǎng 想 is a wish or a would like. 要 is close to a decision.
Type I'd like a coffee in pinyin.
Show the answer
wǒ xiǎng hē kāfēi 想 plus a verb is a soft want.
What does 我要走了 mean?
- I'm leaving now
- I want to walk
- I will never leave
- I'd like to go one day
Show the answer
I'm leaving now 要 plus 了 means about to happen.
How do you decline something you are offered?
- 不用了 búyòng le
- 不要了 bú yào le
- 不好 bù hǎo
- 不是 bú shì
Show the answer
不用了 búyòng le 不用 is no need. 不要 is closer to don't.
What does 吧 do at the end of 我们一起去吧?
- it turns a statement into a suggestion
- it makes it a yes or no question
- it marks the past
- it makes it formal
Show the answer
it turns a statement into a suggestion 我们去 is we are going. 我们去吧 is let's go.
我想你 means what?
- I miss you
- I think you
- I want you to go
- I am like you
Show the answer
I miss you 想 on its own is to think of or miss. In front of a verb it is a soft want.
Which would you use for I'm planning to study Chinese?
- 打算 dǎsuàn
- 要 yào
- 需要 xūyào
- 可以 kěyǐ
Show the answer
打算 dǎsuàn 打算 is a plan with steps behind it.
Type what do you want to do in pinyin.
Show the answer
nǐ xiǎng zuò shénme The question word stays in the answer's slot.
Question 1 of 8
Writing practice optional
Every character from today, in the order it came up. Watch it, trace it, then write it from memory.
Press Watch to see the stroke order.
Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.
Character 1 of 32
This lesson is written by an English speaker who learned Mandarin as a second language, and it is waiting on a check by a native speaker. If you spot something off, please tell us and we will fix it.