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Expressing desire with 要 (yào)
HSK 1Wishes & Desires
Structure
Subject + 要 + Verb + Object
Explanation
The word 要 (yào) can express a desire or wish to do something, similar to "want to" in English. Place 要 before the verb to indicate what the subject wants to do. This is one of the most common and basic ways to express wants in Chinese.
Examples
我要学游泳，你能教我吗？
wǒ yào xué yóuyǒng, nǐ néng jiāo wǒ ma?
I want to learn to swim. Can you teach me?
她要去日本旅行，已经开始学日语了。
tā yào qù Rìběn lǚxíng, yǐjīng kāishǐ xué Rìyǔ le.
She's going to travel to Japan and has already started learning Japanese.
孩子们都要吃冰淇淋，不想吃饭。
háizimen dōu yào chī bīngqílín, bù xiǎng chīfàn.
The kids all want to eat ice cream and don't want to eat their meal.