Xiang 想 vs. Yao 要

[AlexanderH]

So I've got a question here:

Can you get by without ever using Yao, while instead just using xiang?

你好，我想买面包。

Hello, I’d like to buy some bread.

Does the above make as much sense as this?

你好，我要买面包。

What is the difference in usage between the two?

[renzhe]

Can you get by without ever using Yao

No, because 要 has many meanings.

In the sentences you provide, 想 sounds softer and more polite. It's a difference between "I'd like to buy a load of bread" and "I want to buy a loaf of bread". 要 is stronger in this usage. 想要 would be somewhere in between.

Depending on the context, the second sentence can also mean "I will/am planning to buy".

[zhxlier]

IMO no.

我想买面包 means "I'm thinking of buying bread" and doesn't necessarily mean you are going to do it. If you want to get bread you should use "我要买面包“ or just "我买面包”.

So I've got a question here:

Can you get by without ever using Yao, while instead just using xiang?

你好，我想买面包。

Hello, I’d like to buy some bread.

Does the above make as much sense as this?

你好，我要买面包。

What is the difference in usage between the two?

[skylee]

I agree with renzhe, though I know little about these things.

我想买面包 means "I'm thinking of buying bread" and doesn't necessarily mean you are going to do it.

Not necessarily. But it can and it often does, IMO.

[HashiriKata]

Not necessarily. But it can and it often does, IMO.

True, the same with "I'd like to..." in English.

BTW, 新年快乐 to all!

[AlexanderH]

So in China, when you're at the counter and you want to order bread, do you use xiang or yao?

[jbradfor]

I just point to the object and hold up one finger. Works every time.

[semantic nuance]

It really depends on the context. They can be interchangeable when you'd really buy a loaf of bread. However, they can be different. When you're in the supermarket, you say '我想買麵包', it may indicate that you have some choices besides buying bread, but buying bread seems to be your priority over other choices. Or, you're just 'thinking' buying a loaf of bread as zhxlier said

我想买面包 means "I'm thinking of buying bread" and doesn't necessarily mean you are going to do it.

我要買麵包, in the conext above, would mean that you will end up buying a loaf of bread.

Hope it helps!

[stoney]

So in China, when you're at the counter and you want to order bread, do you use xiang or yao?

I always use 要 in that situation and it works for me.

And usually I think I hear the clerks always ask 要买什么？ not 想买什么？

[anonymoose]

In many of these situations, it is a matter of personal choice/habit, rather than conveying any significantly different meaning. Usually, however, using 要 signifies a stronger intention than 想.

In the context you provided, there is another difference. Both can function as auxiliary verbs, meaning that they can be followed by another verb, as in your original examples. Both 想 and 要 are followed by 买. However, 要 can function as a verb in its own right. Thus you could say 我要面包 (I want bread), but couldn't say 我想面包.

[HashiriKata]

As we're getting into the finer points, it's worth mentioning that when 要 is used to indicate the desire to do something, the negative of 要 is 不想, and not 不要:

a. 我要去中国，不想去日本。

b. 我要买汉英词典，不想买英汉词典。

If 不要 is used, the sentences will mean something quite different:

c. 我要去中国，不要去日本。

d. 我要买汉英词典，不要买英汉词典。

[Guoke]

想 is at the contemplating stage and 要 is at the later stage when a decision is made.

[AlexL]

Hashirikata, could you elaborate on the differences between 不想 and 不要? I always thought that "我要去中国，不要去日本" could mean "I want to go to China, not to Japan". Or if someone asks 要不要喝茶？ you can reply 不要--not 不想.

[AlexanderH]

Is using 要 polite?

If I say 我要点菜 - I want to order - is that polite?

[msittig]

And usually I think I hear the clerks always ask 要买什么？ not 想买什么

Not to cloud the issue, but 想要什么 is also common

[HashiriKata]

Hashirikata, could you elaborate on the differences between 不想 and 不要? I always thought that "我要去中国，不要去日本" could mean "I want to go to China, not to Japan". Or if someone asks 要不要喝茶？ you can reply 不要--not 不想.

Hi AlexL,

"我要去中国，不想去日本" usually means "I want to go to China, not Japan", but if you say "我要去中国，不要去日本", the meaning tends to lean towards "I need to go to China, and don't need to go to Japan". This is my understanding but individuals' usage may sometimes be different.

As a reply to "要不要喝茶？", it'll be 不要, and not 不想. This is because in replying we normally go along with the frame already set by the question.

[Guoke]

As a reply to "要不要喝茶？", it'll be 不要, and not 不想.

It's possible to reply, "不要，我不想喝。"

[HashiriKata]

This is what my girlfriend gave me when she left me, and it should explain why I've learned the lesson so well ():

我不想如影随形总跟着你，我不想唯一的工作就是陪伴你，

我不想没有朋友就只有你，我不想只活在你的心房里。

我不想总是看你的脸色来打发时光，我不想从早到晚看你演戏，

我不想你说完爱我又对别人说，我不想再听你分析谎言的善意。

我不想总停在你视线里，我不想穿哪件衣服都要你允许，

我不想总是迁就让你满意，我不想丢失掉了我自己。

[imron]

Did she give you a copy of the mp3 to go with the lyrics? If not, you can just download it here.

[skylee]

As a reply to "要不要喝茶？", it'll be 不要, and not 不想. This is because in replying we normally go along with the frame already set by the question.

If someone offers you tea, or offers to take you to tea, I would think that answering 不要 sounds kind of rude. IMO, 要 is just stronger than 想. So declining something using 不要 feels quite strong to me.

But context is of course important.

BTW, nice lyrics, very reasonable woman. And if you replace all the 不想 with 不要, the tone will be very strong.