Level 1 Lesson 4.1 – I Want To Buy Fruits, Is It OK?

Grammar 1: Want To Do Something in Chinese· HSK 1

STATEMENT - In Chinese, xiǎng 想 means "to think", "to miss (someone)", and it can also be used to express to want to do something in Chinese:

Subject + 想 + Verb ( + Object )

• tā xiǎng zhù zài xuéxiào 
  她想住在学校。
  She wants to live on campus.
• tā xiǎng mǎi shuǐguǒ
  他想买水果。
  He wants to buy fruits.

QUESTION - To ask questions like "do you want to do something" in Chinese, we can use the yes/no Question Particle 吗 and use this structure:

Subject + 想 + Verb ( + Object ) + 吗?

• tā xiǎng zhù zài xuéxiào ma
  她想住在学校吗？
  Does she want to live on campus?
• tā xiǎng mǎi shuǐguǒ ma 
  他想买水果吗？
  Does he want to buy fruit?

ANSWER - Answering yes or no with questions like "do you want to do something" is very easy. We can answer with full sentences:

Subject 想 …… 。 / Subject 不想 …… 。

• wǒ xiǎng xué Yīngyǔ
  我想学英语。
  I want to learn English.
• tā bùxiǎng mài Hànyǔshū
  他不想卖汉语书。
  He doesn't want to sell his Chinese book.

Or with short versions:

想 。 / 不想。

• xiǎng 想。 (Yes, I do) want to.
• bùxiǎng 不想。 (No, I do) not want to.

Grammar 2: Is It OK in Chinese · HSK 1

QUESTION - There are a lot of different ways to ask is it ok in Chinese. Today we'll learn one of them:

好吗？

• wǒ xiǎng zhù zài nǐjiā, hǎoma
  我想住在你家，好吗？
  I want to live in your house, (is it) OK?
• tā xiǎng mǎi cháyè, hǎoma
  他想买茶叶，好吗？
  He wants to buy some (dry) tea leaves, (is it) OK?

Grammar 3: Something Is Not For Sale in Chinese · HSK 2

Something 不卖

• zhèběn Hànyǔshū búmài
  这本汉语书不卖 This Chinese book is not for sale.
• zhèbù shǒujī búmài
  这部手机不卖。
  This cellphone is not for sale.