Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
想、要、需要: want and need
Original Chinese study material with English explanations. Simplified Chinese with pinyin; beginner, intermediate and advanced are editorial difficulty labels.
想 (xiǎng) before a verb often expresses a wish or intention. 要 (yào) can express wanting or a firmer intention. 需要 (xūyào) expresses a need. 想要 commonly means would like or want.
我想学中文。
Wǒ xiǎng xué Zhōngwén.
I would like to learn Chinese.
我们需要更多时间。
Wǒmen xūyào gèng duō shíjiān.
We need more time.
要 has other meanings, including a future intention; 想 also means think or miss. Context determines the reading.
Try it
Choose “We need water.”
- 我们需要水。
- 我们认识水。
- 我们在水。
Answer and explanation
我们需要水。. 需要 expresses a need for something.