sentence to translate.

[stoney]

I want some tea.

1. wo xiang yidian cha. or2. wo yao yidian cha.

I said the sentence with 'xiang' to a Chinese person and they thought I said, I miss tea.

I am starting the pimsleur mandarin course, and they are using xiang all the time for , "would like". I saw a thread here about xiang vs. yao, but it did not clear up the confusion.

Thanks for any help.

[xiaojiang216]

You could say this to clear up the confusion with that person:

我想喝点儿茶。

wo3 xiang3 he1 dian3'r cha2.

I would like to drink some tea.

This is what I hear most often.

[stoney]

1. wǒ xiǎng chī yìdiǎnr dōngxi

2. wǒ yào chī yìdiǎnr dōngxi

Do these sentences both mean the same thing, or is there a significant difference between them? I think xiang and yao can both mean 'to want'. Which would be more appropriate here?

[skylee]

Use "yao" when you mean you "need" rather than "want" something, e.g. you are very hungry, or you must eat something before you can take some medicine.

[WoAiJolinTsai]

You could use

"wo xiang yao..."

[FSO]

Additionally, 要"yao4" is often preferred when ordering things, especially at a store or restaurant. What was the context of the original statement?

[stoney]

A friend asked if I want something to drink, I tell her I want some tea.

[adrianlondon]

I'm a beginner too, but I think I see where the confusion is coming from.

"xiang" is the correct word to use, but you need to follow it with a verb. You can't just say "I think-about some tea"; you need to say "I think-about drink some tea". If you use yao, it's the same. "I want some tea" does make more sense than "I think-about some tea" but it's still better to say "I want drink some tea".

I always worry about giving advice here as I'm a beginner, so feel free to contradict me if I'm wrong!

[flycap]

to adrianlondon:

.

If you want some tea, the best sentence you may say is "wo xiang yao yi bei cha"

The word "xiang" in your sentence is not a main verb, but an auxiliary verb, under such cases, there must be a main verb following it, just like the auxiliar verb "can" in English

In Chinese, mose sentence that express one's mental action need such an auxiliar verb

in front of the main verb.

[HashiriKata]

"xiang" is the correct word to use, but you need to follow it with a verb.

The word "xiang" in your sentence is not a main verb, but an auxiliary verb, under such cases, there must be a main verb following it

Flycap, you seem to try to tell adrianlondon the exact of what he'd just said ?

[watergrass]

to adrianlondon:

You have very good sense in Chinese! I completely agree with what you said

in following.

btw, "wo xiang yao yi dian cha" is also correct. But it still follows your rules -- "yao"

here follows "xiang".

"xiang" is the correct word to use, but you need to follow it with a verb. You can't just say "I think-about some tea"; you need to say "I think-about drink some tea". If you use yao, it's the same. "I want some tea" does make more sense than "I think-about some tea" but it's still better to say "I want drink some tea".

[tanhql]

normally, you will answer in the format the question was asked.

‘你想喝什么？’

‘我想喝茶。’

‘你想要喝什么？’

‘我想要喝茶。’

‘你要喝什么？’

‘我要喝茶。’

[Long Zhiren]

想 xiang = "to think" or "to miss"

要 yao = "to want". And is usually the first working verb that children learn to request things.

想要 is the more socially developed manner of requesting things.

Technically, 想 by itself can also be used to mean "to want" but since almost nobody really talks like this, nobody will understand what you mean without a double-take.

My wife was using the Pimsleur stuff too and was having this same difficulty until my 2 year old niece demonstrated how to request things... Children's first sentences seem to be repeated themes of "我要..."

I haven't noticed Pimsleur helping much with vocabulary/grammar constructions, just the claimed "natural" way of learning to speak. Evidently, they did not consult with any real children on the matter.