Chinese-all-day-breakfast/MD/All-Day-Breakfast/docs/g1-17.md

Word usage: 想

The word 想 in Chinese carries various meanings:

1. 想 + noun/noun-phrase = to miss somebody/something:

   丁雲很想家。
       Ding Yun misses her family very much.
   我很想我的爸爸媽媽。
       I miss my parents very much.
   你不想你的男朋友嗎﹖
       Don't you miss your boyfriend?
   你想不想她﹖
       Do you miss her?
   

2. 想 + verb/verb-phrase = to want to do something:

   A: 你想去商店嗎﹖
       Do you want to go to the shop?
   B: 我不想去。
       I don't want to go.
   
   A: 你想不想學法語﹖
       Do you want to study French?
   B: 我也想學法語。
       I also want to study French.
   

3. 想 + clause = to think/suppose something:

   我想她是中國人。
       I think she is Chinese.
   我想她爸爸媽媽都是大夫。
       I think her parents are both doctors.
   

   N.B. to negate a sentence with 想 in this capacity, put the negative adverb in the /subordinate clause/, not in the main clause as in English:

   我想她/不是/中國人。
       I don't think she is Chinese.
   but not 我不想她是中國人。
   

N.B. 想 as a verb can use the affirmative-negative question form /only/ in senses 1 and 2 above, not in 3.