Level 1 · Beginner
Wanting things with 要
Subj. + 要 + Noun / Verb
要 (yào) + noun means "want (to have)" and is the standard way to order or ask for things: 我要一杯茶 "I'll have a cup of tea".
要 + verb means "want to / be going to" and sounds more decided than 想: 我要买水果 "I'm going to buy fruit". Think of 想 as "would like to" and 要 as "will / insist on".
Examples
我要一杯茶。
wǒ yào yī bēi chá
I'll have a cup of tea.
我要买水果。
我要買水果。
wǒ yào mǎi shuǐ guǒ
I'm going to buy fruit.
他明天要去北京。
tā míng tiān yào qù běi jīng
He's going to Beijing tomorrow.
你要什么？
你要什麼？
nǐ yào shén me
What would you like?
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Lil Jon Orders Lunch — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
