Still confused over ‘yao4′ 要 and ‘xiang3′ 想 in everday speech
mnixon
March 31, 2008, 02:08 PM posted in General DiscussionThanks. AY
hitokiri6993
April 02, 2008, 07:24 AMhe difference between 想 and 要： '想': to think about a plan, not planned yet '要': one has made a decision already and will do it, this event will definitely happen.
xiaohu
July 30, 2008, 03:58 PMAnayelena,
Chinese people use 要 all the time in common speech.
I don't often hear people say 想. Think about it this way, 要 equates pretty nicely to "want", and 想 equates fairly well to "wish". We don't often say "wish" in everyday speech unless we're trying to be polite.
Also if you're confused on the tone of the word you can delve deeper into it, some other definitions may help clarify the matter.
要 can mean:
-To want
-Will, shall (be going to do something)
想 can mean:
-Would like to
-To think about
So we can see that the 想 indicates our desires, and 要 indicates our intentions.
Let's say you want to buy a car, and you say,
"我想买一辆车" wo3 xiang3 mai3 yi1 liang4 che1
This would mean you are THINKING ABOUT or CONSIDERING buying a car, but doesn't necessarily mean you are GOING TO buy a car.
Now, if you say, "我要买一辆车" wo3 yao4 mai3 yi1 liang4 che1.
This would indicate you have a firm intention to buy a car, it's not just something you are thinking over, you are INTENDING to buy a car, you are most likely GOING TO buy a car.
Don't worry too much about it, I'd say to err on the side of saying yao4 more often is okay.
xiaohu
July 30, 2008, 04:20 PMOh, I almost forgot, in the spirit of teaching you measure words, and also what people commonly say, most Chinese people would say,
我要买一部车 "wo3 yao4 mai3 yi1 bu4 che1." (I want to buy a car)
我要买一个车 "wo3 yao4 mai3 yi1 ge4 che1" (I want to buy a car)
You'll find that alot of times Chinese people don't say the proper measure word for things, they just say 个 for almost everything.
But that's not an excuse to not learn the correct measure word for yourself.
shenhe
July 30, 2008, 05:43 PMWhy 部 for cars? Is that a regional thing? I usually hear 辆 or 个.
Though Chinese frequently resort to 个, they're pretty impressed if you use the proper measure word. And using the wrong one makes for great jokes (at your expense).
Which verb is more common when ordering or asking for stuff in a shop/restaurant? 我想... or 我要...?
wildyaks
March 31, 2008, 02:55 PM"yao" is more demanding in tone and, depending on context, expresses a need. In informal conversation better avoided. An alternative that softens it a bit would be "xiang yao". "xiang" expresses thoughts and desires, is less demanding. If you say "wo yao qu huaxue.. (I want to go skiing)", this communicates to me that you are making definite plans. If you use "xiang" instead, for me it is still in the thought process, something you feel like doing and might do. I am not so clear if either are followed by a noun. If you say "wo xiang ...yi liang che" I think it means you are imagining a car before your inner eye. If you use "yao" or "xiangyao", then it is about wanting a car or needing a car. This are just some thoughts and not a grammatical analysis. I hope others can fill more gaps for you.