HSK 1Verbs

Wanting with 想

想 + verb means 'want to'. It goes before the action verb.

Pattern

Subject + 想 + Verb + Object

Explanation

想 (xiǎng) means 'want to' when followed by a verb. It expresses desire or intention.

想 must be followed by a verb, not directly by a noun. To say 'I want water', say '我想喝水' (I want to drink water).

Examples

我想喝水。

Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.

I want to drink water.

他想去中国。

Tā xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.

He wants to go to China.

你想吃什么?

Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?

What do you want to eat?

Common Mistakes

Wrong

我想水。

Correct

我想喝水。

想 needs a verb after it, not just a noun.

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