Chinese-all-day-breakfast/MD/g1-42.md

The use of optative verbs

Optative or auxiliary verbs are those placed before other verbs to express intention, wishes, possibility etc.

1. To express /subjective wish/, /desire/ or /request/:

   1. 要 + verb = to want to

      我要喝橘子水。
      

   2. 想 + verb = would like to

      你想看電影嗎﹖
      

2. To express /objective necessity/:

   1. 要 + verb = to have to (especially in questions)

      我明天要來嗎﹖
          Do I have to come tomorrow?
      我們要去了。
          We have to go.
      

   2. 不用 + verb = don't have to

      你明天不用來。
          You don't have to come tomorrow.
      

3. To express /ability/ or /skill acquired/:

   1. 能 + verb = can, be able to

      你現在能看中文報紙嗎﹖
      

   2. 可以 + verb = can, be able to

      你們一個星期可以學幾課﹖
      

   3. 會 + verb = can, be able to

      他們都會游泳嗎﹖
      

4. To express /ability depending on circumstances/:

   1. 能 + verb = can, be able to

      你明天能來嗎﹖
      

   2. 可以 + verb = can, be able to

      你今天晚上可以1給他打電話嗎﹖
      

   Note, in both cases use 不能 for negative sentences.

5. To express /permission/:

   1. 能 + verb = may, be permitted to

      我能在這兒停車嗎﹖
      你不能 (or 不可以) 在這兒停車。
      

   2. 可以 + verb = may, be permitted to

      我可以在這兒吸煙嗎﹖
      你不可以 (or 不能) 在這兒吸煙。
      

6. To express /possibility/ or /probability/:

   . 會 + verb = be likely to, will probably

       你明天會再來嗎﹖
       今天晚上不會下雨。
   

7. To express /need arising from moral or factual necessity/:

   1. 應該 + verb = should, ought to

      你們學得不錯﹐應該去中國。
      他們不應該翻譯那本書。
      

Note:

1. To make a negation, put the negative word 不 or 沒有 before the optative verb:

   他們不想給圖書館打電話。
   

2. To form an affirmative-negative question, alternate the optative verb instead of the main verb in the sentence:

   你會不會唱中國民歌﹖
   but not 你會唱不唱中國民歌﹖
   

3. It is possible to use more than one optative verb in a sentence:

   你是北京人﹐應該會唱京劇。