Today’s word of the day is: 要 (yào) means ‘demand’. This character can also be pronounced in the first tone 要 (yāo). Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 要 (yào).
要求 (yāo qiú) Request
The first word is 要求 (yāo qiú) which means ‘request’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 要 means to demand, and 求 (qiú) means ‘beg’. A way of using it in a sentence is: 经理要求我下星期出差。(Jīnglǐ yāoqiú wǒ xià xīngqí chūchāi.) My manager requested that I go on a business trip next week.
需要 (xū yào) To need
Another word we can create with 要 (yào) is 需要 (xū yào). This is a noun that means need. A way of using it in a sentence is 我需要你的帮助。(Wǒ xūyào nǐ de bāngzhù.) I need your help.
要是 (yào shi) If
Finally, we can create the word 要是 (yào shi) which means ‘if’. 是 means ‘to be’. A way of using it in a sentence is 要是你不还给他，他就会生气！(Yàoshi nǐ bù huán gěi tā, tā jiù huì shēngqì!!) If you don’t return it to him, he will be angry. This may be something you hear a lot from your parents if you have siblings.