zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng gēn qīnqi yìqǐ qù jùhuì.

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Breakdown of zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng gēn qīnqi yìqǐ qù jùhuì.

• 不bù: not
• 去qù: to go
• 想xiǎng: to want to

Questions & Answers about zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng gēn qīnqi yìqǐ qù jùhuì.

Why does 周末 come at the very beginning? Could I say 我周末不想跟亲戚一起去聚会 instead?

In Chinese, time expressions usually go near the beginning of the sentence, typically in this order:

(Time) + (Subject) + (Adverb) + Verb + Object

So 周末我不想… is very natural: 周末 (time) + 我 (subject) + 不想 (verb phrase).

You can also say 我周末不想跟亲戚一起去聚会, and that is also correct and common. Putting 周末 first makes the time a bit more prominent, like “As for the weekend, I don’t want to…”. Both word orders are acceptable in everyday speech.

What exactly does 想 mean here? Is it “think”, “want”, or “miss”?

The verb 想 (xiǎng) has several common meanings:

1. to want / would like to

   • 我想喝咖啡。 — I want to drink coffee.
   • This is the meaning in your sentence: 我不想跟亲戚一起去聚会。 = “I don’t want to go to a gathering with my relatives.”

2. to think (mental activity)

   • 我在想这件事。 — I’m thinking about this matter.

3. to miss (someone)

   • 我很想你。 — I really miss you.

Here, because 想 is followed by another verb (去聚会), it clearly means “want to / feel like (doing something)”, not “think” or “miss”.

Why is it 不想 and not 不要 or 不去? What’s the difference?