Learn Hardcore Chinese: míngnián wǒ xiǎng qù biéde guójiā lǚyóu. - Next year I want to travel to other countries.

明年 (míngnián) = next year
That time word at the start already puts the action in the future.
The verb 想 (xiǎng, “want to / would like to”) plus context makes it clear this is a future plan.

So there’s no need for an extra “will.” Chinese relies on time expressions (明年, 明天, 以后, etc.) and context to show tense.

What’s the exact nuance of 想 here? Is it “want,” “would like to,” or “plan to”?

In this sentence, 想 has a soft, “I’d like to / I want to” feeling:

我想去… ≈ I would like to go… / I want to go…

Common meanings of 想:

to want to do something:
- 我想去。= I want to go / I’d like to go.
to think / to miss:
- 我想你。= I miss you / I’m thinking of you.

Compared with other “want” verbs:

想 – relatively polite / tentative, like would like to.
要 – often stronger / more definite, like going to / intend to.
- 明年我要去别的国家旅游。= Next year I’m going to go travel to another country (I’ve basically decided).

Why do we need both 去 and 旅游? Wouldn’t one verb be enough?

Here, 去 and 旅游 are doing slightly different jobs:

去 (qù) = to go (to a place)
旅游 (lǚyóu) = to travel / to go on a trip

The structure is:

去 + 地点 + 做什么
In this sentence, the “place” and the activity are bundled together:
- 去别的国家旅游 = go (to) other countries to travel

So it’s like saying: “go to other countries to travel”.

You could say 明年我想旅游 and it’s still correct, but it’s vague (just “I want to travel”). Adding 去别的国家 tells you where and makes the Chinese more natural and specific.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say 我明年想去别的国家旅游?

Yes, that’s also correct and natural. Both work:

明年我想去别的国家旅游。
我明年想去别的国家旅游。

General rule:

Time words (明年, 明天, 现在, etc.) usually go before the verb phrase, either:
- at the very start of the sentence, or
- right after the subject.

So you’ll often see patterns like:

明天我去北京。
我明天去北京。

Both are common. The difference in emphasis is very slight in everyday speech.

Why is it 别的国家 and not just 别国家? What does the 的 do?

别的 (biéde) is a common way to say “other / another” when it’s used to describe a noun:

别的 + noun = other + noun
别的国家 = other country / other countries

The 的 is the usual marker that connects a describing word to a noun, like:

大的房子 = big house
新的手机 = new phone
别的人 = other people

You will see 别的 used almost formulaically before nouns: 别的地方 (other places), 别的选择 (other choices), etc.

You can sometimes drop 的 in certain fixed phrases or with some adjectives, but 别的国家 is the standard, natural form here.

Does 别的国家 mean “another country” (one) or “other countries” (more than one)?

It can mean either, depending on context. Chinese nouns usually don’t show plural by form:

国家 = “country” or “countries”
人 = “person” or “people”

In 别的国家:

Literally: other country/countries
In English you might translate it as:
- another country (if you’re thinking of only one)
- other countries (if you’re thinking of several)

The Chinese itself stays the same; the number is left flexible. Context (or extra words like 一个, 一些, 好几个) makes it specific if needed.

Should there be a measure word before 国家, like 个国家? Why is it missing?

You only need a measure word in Chinese when you are being specific about number:

一个国家 = one country
两个国家 = two countries

Here, 别的国家 is general and indefinite: “other country/countries” without a specific number. In that case, it’s very natural not to use a measure word.

So:

明年我想去别的国家旅游。= Next year I want to travel to another/other country(ies).
明年我想去三个国家旅游。= Next year I want to travel to three countries.

What’s the difference between 别的国家 and 其他国家? Can I say 其他国家 here?

Both 别的国家 and 其他国家 can mean “other countries.”

别的 is very common in everyday speech; it often feels a bit more casual / spoken.
其他 is slightly more formal / written, but it’s also widely used in speech.

In this sentence, you can say either:

明年我想去别的国家旅游。
明年我想去其他国家旅游。

Both are natural. For daily conversation, 别的国家 is extremely common.

What’s the difference between 旅游 (lǚyóu) and 旅行 (lǚxíng)?

They overlap a lot and are sometimes interchangeable, but there are tendencies:

旅游:
- Focus on sightseeing / tourism.
- Often used for leisure trips, vacations.
- Very common in phrases like 旅游景点 (tourist spots), 旅游团 (tour group).
旅行:
- Slightly broader: travel / journey (can be business or leisure).
- Used in 旅行社 (travel agency), 旅行箱 (suitcase).

In 明年我想去别的国家旅游, 旅游 fits well because it clearly suggests tourist-style travel. You could say 旅行 instead here and it would still be understood; 旅游 just emphasizes the leisure/tourism aspect.

How do I pronounce 旅 (lǚ) and what’s with the dots on the ü?

旅 is pronounced lǚ, with third tone and the vowel ü.

ü is like the German “ü” or French “u” in tu:
- Start saying “ee” (like in “see”),
- then round your lips as if saying “oo,”
- but keep your tongue in the “ee” position.

Typing tips (Pinyin input):

On many keyboards you type lv for lü, nv for nü, etc.
So to type 旅: lv
- choose 旅.

The dots are important in pinyin for distinguishing sounds like lü from lu, but when ü follows j, q, x, y (like ju, qu, xu, yu), it’s written without the dots by convention.

Can I drop the subject 我 and just say 明年想去别的国家旅游?

Yes, in context, you often can. If it’s already clear you’re talking about yourself (for example, you’ve been talking about your plans), you can say:

明年想去别的国家旅游。

Chinese frequently omits the subject when it’s obvious from context or previous sentences. However, in an isolated sentence (like in a textbook example), keeping 我 is clearer:

明年我想去别的国家旅游。

Why is there no word like “to” before the verb, as in “want to go”?

Chinese doesn’t need a separate word like English “to” before verbs in this structure.

The pattern is simply:

想 + Verb
想去 + Place + Verb

So:

我想去。= I want to go.
我想吃饭。= I want to eat.
我想去别的国家旅游。= I want to go travel to other countries.

No extra “to” is required between 想 and 去 or between 去 and 旅游. The verb forms don’t change, and Chinese doesn’t use infinitives the way English does.

Could I say 明年我想去别的国家玩 instead of 旅游? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say that, but the nuance changes:

玩 (wán) = to play / to have fun / to hang out.
- 明年我想去别的国家玩。
- Next year I want to go to another country to have fun / just hang out.
旅游 (lǚyóu) = to travel (as a tourist).
- 明年我想去别的国家旅游。
- Next year I want to go to another country to travel / go sightseeing.

旅游 sounds more like “go traveling / sightseeing”; 玩 sounds more casual, like you’re just going there to have fun, not necessarily “tourism” in an organized sense.