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tā xiǎng zìjǐ qù chāoshì.

她tā　想xiǎng　自己zìjǐ　去qù　超市chāoshì。tā xiǎng zìjǐ qù chāoshì.
She wants to go to the supermarket by herself.
FromLesson 8inHardcore Chinese

Questions & Answers about tā xiǎng zìjǐ qù chāoshì.

Does 想 (xiǎng) here mean want, think, or miss?
  • With a verb phrase, 想 + V means want to / would like to / plan to: 她想自己去超市 = She wants/plans to go by herself.
  • With a clause, 想 can mean to consider/plan: 她想明天去 = She’s thinking of going tomorrow.
  • For opinions, use 觉得/认为: 她觉得一个人去更方便 = She thinks it’s more convenient to go alone.
  • With a noun/pronoun, 想 can mean miss: 我想你 = I miss you.
What exactly does 自己 (zìjǐ) do here? Who does it refer to?
  • 自己 is a reflexive pronoun meaning oneself; it refers to the subject of the relevant clause.
  • In 她想[自己去超市], 自己 stands for the understood subject of the inner clause and refers back to 她. So: she wants to go by herself.
  • Compare:
    • 妈妈想她自己去超市 = Mom wants her to go by herself.
    • 妈妈想自己去超市 = Mom wants to go by herself.
What’s the difference between 她想自己去超市 and 她自己想去超市?
  • 她想自己去超市: focus on doing the action alone (by herself).
  • 她自己想去超市: focus on who has the desire (she herself wants to go, not someone else). It doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll go alone.
Can I say 一个人 instead of 自己?
  • Yes: 她想一个人去超市 ≈ she wants to go alone.
  • Nuance:
    • 自己 emphasizes doing it by oneself (no help).
    • 一个人 emphasizes no companion.
  • Both are often interchangeable; you can also say 自己一个人 or 独自 for extra clarity/emphasis.
Why is there no preposition like “to” before 超市? Is 去 enough?
  • Chinese uses 去 + place for motion: 去超市 = go to the supermarket. No preposition needed.
  • You can also say 到超市去 (slightly more formal/emphatic on arrival).
  • 去 emphasizes the going process; 到 emphasizes reaching the destination.
Where would 了 go if I want to talk about already going, or a change of desire?
  • Already went: 她已经自己去超市了.
  • Change of desire (now she wants to): 她想去超市了 / 她想自己去超市了 (implies a new development).
  • Don’t use 了 just to mark simple present/future desire.
How do I negate this? Is it 不想 or 没想?
  • Desire negation: 不想 = do not want to. Example: 她不想自己去超市.
  • 没想 = didn’t think/plan/expect (past or factual), not a simple “doesn’t want.” Example: 她没想自己去超市 = She hadn’t planned to go by herself.
How can I turn it into a question?
  • Yes/no with 吗: 她想自己去超市吗？
  • A-not-A for the verb 想: 她想不想自己去超市？
  • Asking about the action choice: 她想自己去不去超市？ (= she’s considering whether to go by herself).
Is 去 required? Could I say 她想超市?
  • You need a motion verb; 她想超市 is ungrammatical.
  • Use 她想去超市 (optionally with 自己). In casual ellipsis you can drop words only when context makes the verb obvious, but with 想 you normally keep the verb.
Pronunciation and tones for each word?
  • 她 tā (1st tone) — same pronunciation as 他/它 in speech.
  • 想 xiǎng (3rd).
  • 自己 zìjǐ: zì (4th), jǐ (3rd; often a “half-3rd” low tone in flow).
  • 去 qù (4th).
  • 超市 chāoshì: chāo (1st), shì (4th).
  • No special third-tone sandhi here beyond the usual “half-3rd” feel on jǐ.
Do I need a measure word with 超市 here?
  • After 去, place nouns don’t take a measure word: 去超市 is standard.
  • Use a classifier when counting/specifying: 一家超市 = a supermarket. Example: 她想去一家超市 (go to a particular/unspecified one).
How do I say “make a quick trip to the supermarket”?
  • Use the trip measure word 趟 (tàng): 她想自己去一趟超市 or 她想自己去趟超市.
  • Colloquial but less idiomatic: 去一下超市.
What’s the difference between 想, 要, and 想要 here?
  • 想 + V: would like to / intends to (politer, softer).
  • 要 + V: stronger intention, plan, or necessity; can sound more determined/insistent. 她要自己去超市 = She will/insists on going by herself.
  • 想要 + V/N: want (often stronger or more deliberate). 她想要去超市 is fine but a bit heavier than 想去; 想要 + N is very common (e.g., 想要苹果).
Where do time words or adverbs go?
  • Modify the wanting: 她现在想自己去超市 = Now she wants to go by herself.
  • Modify the going time: 她想现在就自己去超市 = She wants to go right now, by herself.
  • Modals like 可能 go before the VP: 她可能自己去超市. If it’s her thought, use a full clause: 她想她可能会自己去超市.
Could this mean “She thinks she will go by herself,” not just “wants”?
  • Yes, 想 can also mean “is thinking of/plan to,” so 她想自己去超市 can be read as “She’s thinking of going by herself.”
  • For an opinion-type “think,” prefer 觉得/认为: 她觉得自己去超市更方便.
If I add another action like 买东西, where does 自己 go?
  • Default and most natural: put 自己 before the first verb of the action chain: 她想自己去超市买东西.
  • 她想去超市自己买东西 is also possible, shifting the focus to “she herself will do the buying,” but the first version is the safest general pattern.
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