You probably already know the basic meaning of [要
(yào)](Wanting_to_do_something_with_"yao" "wikilink") 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.

要 (yào) as "Want"
------------------

This structure could be used when ordering food at a restaurant or a
shop. Here, it's being used for saying that you want *something.*

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 要 + Noun

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 <em>要</em> 什么？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yào</em> shénme?
    </span><span class="trans">What do you want? </span>
-   我 <em>要</em> 一 杯 水。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yào</em> yī bēi
    shuǐ.</span><span class="trans">I want a cup of water.</span>
-   你们 都 <em>要</em> 冰 可乐 吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen dōu
    <em>yào</em> bīng kělè ma? </span><span class="trans">Do you all
    want coke with ice? </span>
-   你 <em>要</em> 茶 还是 咖啡？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yào</em>
    chá háishì kāfēi? </span><span class="trans">Do you want tea or
    coffee? </span>
-   我们 <em>要</em> 三 碗 米饭。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>yào</em>
    sān wǎn mǐfàn.</span><span class="trans">We want three bowls of
    rice.</span>

</div>
要 (yào) as "Want to"
---------------------

In Chinese, 要 (yào) can mean "want to" (similar to [想
(xiǎng)](Expressing_"would_like_to"_with_"xiang" "wikilink")), but its
tone is quite firm. So it's used for saying that you want ***to do**
something*.

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 要 + Verb

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 <em>要</em> 喝 什么 酒？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yào</em> hē
    shénme jiǔ? </span><span class="trans">What kind of wine do you want
    to drink? </span>
-   爸爸 <em>要</em> 买 一 个 新 手机。<span class="pinyin">Bàba
    <em>yào</em> mǎi yī gè xīn shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">Dad
    wants to buy a new cell phone.</span>
-   我 <em>要</em> 跟 你 一起 去。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yào</em>
    gēn nǐ yīqǐ qù.</span><span class="trans">I want to go with
    you.</span>
-   她 <em>要</em> 去 大城市 找 工作。<span class="pinyin">Tā
    <em>yào</em> qù dà chéngshì zhǎo
    gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">She wants to go to a big city to
    find a job.</span>
-   周末 你们 <em>要</em> 一起 看 电影 吗？<span class="pinyin">Zhōumò
    nǐmen <em>yào</em> yīqǐ kàn diànyǐng ma?
    </span><span class="trans">Do you want to go see a movie together
    this weekend? </span>

</div>
要 (yào) as "Need to"
---------------------

If you crank the urgency of "to want" up a few notches, you get "to
need." The two meanings overlap, creating a fuzzy, "needy" gray area.

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 要 + Verb

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 <em>要</em> 早 点 睡觉。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yào</em> zǎo
    diǎn shuìjiào.</span><span class="trans">You need to go to bed
    earlier.</span>
-   我们 明天 <em>要</em> 上班。<span class="expl">logically, most
    people don't really WANT to work</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
    míngtiān <em>yào</em> shàngbān.</span><span class="trans">We need to
    work tomorrow.</span>
-   老板 今天 <em>要</em> 见 一个 新 客户。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn
    jīntiān <em>yào</em> jiàn yī gè xīn
    kèhù.</span><span class="trans">Today the boss needs to see a new
    client.</span>
-   老师 太 累 了， <em>要</em> 好好 休息。<span class="pinyin">Lǎoshī
    tài lèi le, <em>yào</em> hǎohǎo xiūxi.</span><span class="trans">The
    teacher is too tired. She needs to rest well.</span>
-   明天 下雨， 你 <em>要</em> 带 伞。<span class="pinyin">Míngtiān
    xiàyǔ, nǐ <em>yào</em> dài sǎn.</span><span class="trans">It's going
    to rain tomorrow; you need to bring an umbrella.</span>

</div>
要 (yào) as "Going to"
----------------------

This use of 要 (yào) is like "going to" (similar to
[会](Expressing_"will"_with_"hui" "wikilink") (huì)).

### Structure

Again, no change to the structure here, but it often includes a mention
of a time *when* something is *going to happen*.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 要 + Verb

</div>
If you want to know more about the related pattern "要⋯⋯了" (yào... le),
please see [the "kuai... le"
pattern](Expressing_"about_to_happen"_with_"le" "wikilink").

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   星期五 我们 <em>要</em> 开会。<span class="pinyin">Xīngqīwǔ wǒmen
    <em>yào</em> kāihuì.</span><span class="trans">We are going to have
    a meeting on Friday.</span>
-   12 点 我 <em>要</em> 去 吃饭。<span class="pinyin">Shí'èr diǎn wǒ
    <em>yào</em> qù chīfàn.</span><span class="trans">I am going to go
    eat at 12 o'clock.</span>
-   老板 下周 <em>要</em> 出差 吗？<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn xià zhōu
    <em>yào</em> chūchāi ma?</span><span class="trans">Is the boss going
    on a business trip next week?</span>
-   他们 明年 <em>要</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin"> Tāmen míngnián
    <em>yào</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">They are going to
    get married next year.</span>
-   今年 你 <em>要</em> 回家 过年 吗？<span class="pinyin">Jīnnián nǐ
    <em>yào</em> huíjiā guònián ma?</span><span class="trans">Are you
    going to return home this year to celebrate the Chinese New
    Year?</span>

</div>
Context, Context, Context
-------------------------

You may have noticed that the meanings can easily overlap. To figure out
what is intended, you need to use context. How urgent is the situation?
Is it likely to be something the speaker really *wants* to do? Is it
something that's totally *going to* happen, regardless of anyone's
preference? Most often, a little background knowledge and some common
sense are all you need to figure it out.

See also
--------

-   ["Would like to" with xiang]("Would_like_to"_with_xiang "wikilink")
-   [Expressing "will" with
    "hui"](Expressing_"will"_with_"hui" "wikilink")
-   [About to happen with "le"](About_to_happen_with_"le" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    154-5)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")
<Category:Verbs> [Category:Auxiliary
verbs](Category:Auxiliary_verbs "wikilink")