1. Home
  2. Grammar Points
  3. Expressing "be going to" with 要 ("yao4")

Expressing "be going to" with 要 ("yao4")

要 yào

Verb
HSK 1

Structure

Subj. + Time + 要 + Verb Time + Subj. + 要 + Verb

Translations

  • want
  • be going to

Definition

'要' (yào) 可以表示一种即将发生的动作或状态，相当于英语中的 'be going to'。

'要' (yào) can indicate an imminent action or state, equivalent to 'be going to' in English.

Usage

'要' 放在动词前面，表示即将发生的事情。常与时间状语连用，如'快'、'就'等。也可以不带时间状语，根据上下文推断。

'要' is placed before a verb to indicate something that is about to happen. It is often used with time adverbs like '快' (soon), '就' (immediately), etc. It can also be used without time adverbs, inferred from context.

Examples

  • 1 要下雨了，快收衣服吧！(It's going to rain, quickly take in the clothes!)
  • 2 飞机快要起飞了，请系好安全带。(The plane is about to take off, please fasten your seatbelt.)
  • 3 明天我就要去北京了。(I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.)
  • 4 电影要开始了，快坐下来。(The movie is about to start, sit down quickly.)
  • 5 他快要大学毕业了。(He is going to graduate from university soon.)

Put it into practice

Exam-style HSK drills with instant scoring and explanations.

Find my HSK level

Free · about 3 minutes · no account needed