要
yào
Wanting to do something with "yao"
要 is "want to" with intent behind it — you've decided, not merely wished.
要 + Verb
How it works
我要吃饭 means I'm going to eat, now. Compared with 想, 要 is firmer and closer to a plan.
Its negative is irregular: 不要 means "don't" as a command. To say you don't want to do something, use 不想.
Examples
wǒ yào chī fàn
我要吃饭。
I want to eat.
tā yào mǎi yí liàng chē
他要买一辆车。
He's going to buy a car.
wǒ bù xiǎng qù
我不想去。
I don't want to go.
Common mistakes
- 我不要去 reads as a refusal ("I won't go"), not a preference.