Word
要不是 朋友 帮 我 看 简历， 我 不会 收到 录用通知。yàobúshì péngyou bāng wǒ kàn jiǎnlì, wǒ búhuì shōudào lùyòngtōngzhī.
Meaning
If my friend had not helped me review the résumé, I would not have received the job offer.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of yàobúshì péngyou bāng wǒ kàn jiǎnlì, wǒ búhuì shōudào lùyòngtōngzhī.
我wǒ
I
朋友péngyou
friend
看kàn
to read
帮bāng
to help
Questions & Answers about yàobúshì péngyou bāng wǒ kàn jiǎnlì, wǒ búhuì shōudào lùyòngtōngzhī.
What does 要不是 mean in this sentence?
要不是 means if it weren’t for... / but for.... It introduces a condition that prevented a different outcome.
In this sentence, it shows a counterfactual idea:
the speaker did receive the job offer, and they are saying that without their friend’s help, that would not have happened.
So 要不是朋友帮我看简历，我不会收到录用通知 means something like:
If it weren’t for my friend helping me look over my résumé, I wouldn’t have received the offer.
How is 要不是 different from 如果不是?
Both can be translated as if it were not for, but 要不是 often sounds:
- more natural in everyday speech
- more emotional or emphatic
- more strongly connected to a result that actually happened
如果不是 is more neutral and literal.
So in this sentence, 要不是 fits well because the speaker is reflecting on a real outcome and emphasizing how important the friend’s help was.
Why is there no 就 in the second half? I thought patterns like this often use 就.