A2 · Grammar reference
Auxiliary verb "yao" and its multiple meanings
You probably already know the basic meaning of 要 (yào) as "to want." It is 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.
- Keywords
- 要 · want · need · go · will
- Used for
- Referring to the future · Expressing determination · Expressing desires
- Classification
- Verbs · HSK2
Examples (20)
你要什么？
我要一杯水。
你们都要冰可乐吗？
你要茶还是咖啡？
我们要三碗米饭。
你要喝什么酒？
爸爸要买一个新手机。
我要跟你一起去。
她要去大城市找工作。
周末你们要一起看电影吗？
你要早点睡觉。
我们明天要上班。
老板今天要见一个新客户。
老师太累了，要好好休息。
明天下雨，你要带伞。
星期五我们要开会。
12点我要去吃饭。
老板下周要出差吗？
他们明年要结婚了。
今年你要回家过年吗？
Further resources
Learn from another explanation
No editorial pick yet for this exact pattern.
Editorial picks are checked for a close topic match. Search results and external content belong to their publishers and may change.
Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.
Related points