Intention: 想 / 要 / 打算 (Want / Will / Plan To) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

When you talk about the future in Chinese, the verb you choose leaks how committed you are. 想 (xiǎng) floats a soft wish — "I'd like to." 要 (yào) states a firm intention — "I'm going to." 打算 (dǎsuàn) reports a deliberate plan you've actually thought through — "I plan to." English does the same thing with want to / going to / plan to, so the mapping is unusually clean; the trap is negation, where 不要 does not mean "don't want to." This page sorts the scale out and shows where 准备 (get ready to) and 计划 (formally plan) slot in.

A scale of commitment

Line the verbs up from vaguest wish to settled plan and the choice becomes intuitive. The further right you go, the more the future action is treated as decided.

Verb	Strength	English	Feel
想 (xiǎng)	softest	would like to	a wish, easily dropped
准备 (zhǔnbèi)	mid	getting ready to	gearing up for it
打算 (dǎsuàn)	firm	plan to	a considered plan
要 (yào)	firm	am going to, will	decided, resolute
计划 (jìhuà)	formal	plan / schedule to	written, official (formal)

Each of these is followed directly by the verb phrase — no "to" and no particle in between.

想, 要, 打算 in use

想 is what you reach for to keep things low-pressure — floating an idea, being polite, leaving yourself an out. It pairs beautifully with the softening reduplication 看看, 试试.

我想去看看。

wǒ xiǎng qù kànkan

I'd like to go take a look. (informal) — 想 floats a gentle wish.

周末我想在家好好休息一下。

zhōumò wǒ xiǎng zài jiā hǎohǎo xiūxi yíxià

This weekend I just want to rest up at home. (informal) — a preference, nothing locked in.

要 turns the dial up to a firm, decided intention — "I'm going to," often with a whiff of resolve. It's also the plain future "will."

我要去北京。

wǒ yào qù Běijīng

I'm going to Beijing. (neutral) — settled: the trip is decided.

我明天一定要把这件事办完。

wǒ míngtiān yídìng yào bǎ zhè jiàn shì bànwán

Tomorrow I'm definitely getting this done. (neutral) — 要 with resolve.

打算 names an actual, considered plan — you've weighed it and settled on a course. It answers "what are you planning to do?"

我打算明年结婚。

wǒ dǎsuàn míngnián jiéhūn

I plan to get married next year. (neutral) — a deliberate, thought-through plan.

毕业以后你打算做什么？

bìyè yǐhòu nǐ dǎsuàn zuò shénme?

What do you plan to do after graduation? (neutral) — asks about someone's actual plans.

准备 literally means "prepare," and as an intention verb it's "getting ready to" — a plan that's already in motion. 计划 is the formal, often institutional "plan / schedule to."

我们准备下个月搬家。

wǒmen zhǔnbèi xià ge yuè bānjiā

We're planning to move next month. (informal) — 准备 = the move is already being arranged.

公司计划明年扩大海外市场。

gōngsī jìhuà míngnián kuòdà hǎiwài shìchǎng

The company plans to expand its overseas market next year. (formal) — 计划 for institutional planning.

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Rough rule of thumb: use 想 for "I'd like to," 打算 for "I plan to," and 要 for "I'm going to / I will." If you've genuinely decided, don't undersell it with 想 — a native ear hears 想 as still-negotiable.

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要 is doing a lot of jobs at once — besides "intend to," it also means "want (a thing)" (我要一杯咖啡 "I'd like a coffee"), "need to / must," and plain future "will" (要下雨了 "it's going to rain"). Context sorts them out, but it's why 要 feels stronger than 想: it's the same word you use to demand and to predict.

打算 as a noun: "what are your plans?"

Unlike 想 and 要, 打算 doubles as a noun meaning "a plan / intention." This is why 有什么打算 ("have what plans") is such a common question.

你有什么打算？

nǐ yǒu shénme dǎsuàn?

What are your plans? (informal) — 打算 as a noun after 有.

我暂时还没有什么打算。

wǒ zànshí hái méiyǒu shénme dǎsuàn

I don't really have any plans yet. (informal) — 没有 + the noun 打算.

Negating intention: 不想, not 不要

Here is the one thing that trips up almost every English speaker. To say "I don't want to," you negate 想: 不想. If you negate 要 instead, 不要 flips to a command — "don't!" — because 要 + verb also functions as "want (a thing)" and its negation becomes a prohibition. This volition system is laid out in full under 想 / 要 / 会 volition.

我今天不想出门。

wǒ jīntiān bù xiǎng chūmén

I don't feel like going out today. (informal) — 不想 = don't want to.

别担心，我不打算辞职。

bié dānxīn, wǒ bù dǎsuàn cízhí

Don't worry, I'm not planning to quit. (informal) — negate 打算 with 不打算.

Common Mistakes

1. Using 不要 for "I don't want to." 不要 + verb is heard as "don't do it" — a command, not a statement of preference.

❌ 我不要去他家。

Reads as a blunt refusal / 'don't go to his place!' — not the soft 'I'd rather not go.'

✅ 我不想去他家。

wǒ bù xiǎng qù tā jiā

I don't really want to go to his place. (informal) — 不想 states the preference.

2. Using 打算 with a bare noun. 打算 introduces what you plan to do, so it needs a verb, not just a destination.

❌ 我打算北京。

Incorrect — 打算 needs a verb phrase, not a bare noun.

✅ 我打算去北京。

wǒ dǎsuàn qù Běijīng

I plan to go to Beijing. (neutral) — 打算 + verb phrase 去北京.

3. Understating a decided plan with 想. If it's already scheduled, 想 sounds like you're merely toying with the idea.

❌ 我想下个月去美国出差。

For a booked business trip this undersells it — 想 = 'I'd like to', as if it might not happen.

✅ 我下个月要去美国出差。

wǒ xià ge yuè yào qù Měiguó chūchāi

I'm going to America on business next month. (neutral) — 要 for the settled plan.

4. Over-firm 要 for a tentative, polite wish. In a shop or as a soft request, 要 can sound demanding; 想 is the courteous default.

❌ 我要试试这件衣服。

Curt in a shop — sounds like 'I want to try this on (so hand it over)'.

✅ 我想试试这件衣服。

wǒ xiǎng shìshi zhè jiàn yīfu

I'd like to try this on. (informal, polite) — 想 softens the request.

Key Takeaways

想 = soft wish (would like to); 要 = firm intention (going to / will); 打算 = deliberate plan (plan to).
Add 准备 (getting ready to) and 计划 (formal, institutional planning) to fill out the scale.
All of them are followed directly by a verb phrase — no "to," no particle.
打算 is also a noun: 你有什么打算？("What are your plans?").
Negate "don't want to" as 不想 — 不要 + verb means "don't!"
Compare the modal senses on the 想 and 要 pages.

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