Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ zhǔnbèi míngnián shēnqǐng chūguó liúxué. - I plan to apply to study abroad next year.

After the subject
- 我明年准备申请出国留学。
- Very common and natural: Subject + Time + (Modal/Verb) …
After a modal / planning verb like 准备 (your sentence)
- 我准备明年申请出国留学。
- Here, 准备 works a bit like “plan to”, and 明年 tells you when that plan will be carried out.
At the very beginning for emphasis
- 明年我准备申请出国留学。
- Emphasizes next year as the topic.

All three are grammatical. The difference is mainly nuance and emphasis, not correctness. The original order is very natural in spoken Chinese.

What exactly does 准备 (zhǔnbèi) mean here? Is it “prepare” or “plan”?

准备 has two main uses:

Concrete “to prepare”
- 我在准备晚饭。 – I am preparing dinner.
Abstract “to plan / intend” (the use in your sentence)
- 我准备明年申请出国留学。
- “I plan to apply to study abroad next year.”
- Similar to 打算 (dǎsuàn) or “intend to”.

Here, it does not mean you’re physically preparing something right now. It means you have the intention/plan to do the action in the future.

What is the difference between 准备, 打算, and 计划 in this sentence? Can I replace 准备 with them?

All three can express “planning,” but with slight differences in feel:

准备 (zhǔnbèi)
- Fairly neutral, everyday.
- Often used for plans that feel quite decided.
- 我准备明年申请出国留学。 – Natural, conversational.
打算 (dǎsuàn)
- Very common in speech, “intend to / be thinking of”.
- Slightly more tentative or personal-feeling.
- 我打算明年申请出国留学。 – “I’m thinking of applying…”
计划 (jìhuà)
- Feels more formal or like a “plan” on paper, sometimes more detailed or official.
- 我计划明年申请出国留学。 – “I have a plan to apply…” (a bit more formal / written style)

All three versions are grammatical; choice depends on the nuance you want.

What is the object of 申请 (shēnqǐng) here? Am I applying to go abroad, or applying to study abroad?

In 我准备明年申请出国留学。, the phrase 出国留学 acts as the thing you are applying for.

申请出国留学 ≈ “apply to (be allowed to) go abroad to study.”

Logically, in real life, you might be applying for:

admission to an overseas university
a visa
a scholarship, etc.

But in this sentence, Chinese just bundles this together as applying for 出国留学 (to go abroad and study) without specifying the exact institution or visa type.

Both 出国 and 留学 are verbs. How can they appear together as 出国留学 like one unit?

Chinese often combines two verbs into a verb phrase where the first verb gives a manner, direction, or purpose, and the second verb is the main action.

出国 (chūguó) – to go abroad, leave the country
留学 (liúxué) – to study abroad / study in a foreign country

Combined: 出国留学 = “to go abroad (in order) to study”
The structure is:

Direction / purpose verb (出国)
- main activity (留学)

Other similar patterns:

出门散步 – go out (of the house) to take a walk
上山看日出 – go up the mountain to watch the sunrise

So 出国留学 is a very common set phrase meaning “study abroad.”

Could I say 申请去出国留学 or 申请去国外留学 instead?

申请去国外留学 is grammatical and understandable:
- Literally “apply to go to a foreign country to study.”
- Slightly longer; 出国留学 is more concise and idiomatic.
申请去出国留学 is awkward and redundant:
- 去 and 出国 both express movement; combining them this way sounds unnatural.

Most natural choices:

申请出国留学 (very standard)
申请去国外留学 (also OK, a bit more explicit about “foreign country”)

Why is there no word for “will” or “be going to” in this sentence? How do we know it is future?

Chinese does not mark tense the same way English does. There is no mandatory equivalent of “will.”

We know it’s about the future because of:

明年 (next year) – explicit future time word
The meaning of 准备 (plan to) – inherently future-oriented

So:

我准备明年申请出国留学。
Literally: “I plan next year apply go-abroad study.”
Naturally interpreted as: “I’m going to apply to study abroad next year.”

Chinese relies on time words and context, not verb tense endings, to show future.

What is the difference between 我准备明年申请出国留学 and 我明年要申请出国留学?

Both describe a future plan, but the focus is a bit different:

我准备明年申请出国留学。
- Emphasis on having a plan/intention now.
- “I’m planning to apply next year.”
我明年要申请出国留学。
- 要 (yào) often sounds more decisive / scheduled / determined.
- “I will / am going to apply next year.” (stronger sense that it’s going to happen)

In many everyday contexts, they can be used interchangeably, but 准备 highlights the planning; 要 highlights the future happening.

Can I say 我准备申请明年出国留学 instead?

That order is odd and usually avoided.

明年出国留学 would mean “to go abroad to study next year,” which is okay as a phrase.
But 我准备申请明年出国留学 sounds like you’re applying for “next-year study-abroad” as a program name, which is unnatural in normal speech.

Natural orders are:

我准备明年申请出国留学。
我明年准备申请出国留学。
明年我准备申请出国留学。

In these, 明年 clearly modifies 申请 (when you will apply), not embedded deep inside the verb object.

Is 出国留学 different from 在国外留学 or 去国外留学?

They are close in meaning but used a bit differently:

出国留学
- Literally “go out of the country to study.”
- Most common, compact way to say “study abroad.”
- Slight focus on the act of going abroad.
去国外留学
- Literally “go to a foreign country to study.”
- Emphasizes the destination 国外 (abroad / foreign countries).
在国外留学
- Literally “study in a foreign country.”
- Focuses more on the state of being abroad and studying, not the going.

Your sentence is about applying to go abroad and study, so 出国留学 is the most idiomatic.

Could the subject 我 be dropped? For example, just 准备明年申请出国留学。

You can drop 我 in certain contexts, but not always.

Chinese allows subject omission when the subject is very clear from context:

If someone asks: 你打算以后做什么？ – “What do you plan to do in the future?”
You might answer simply:
- 准备明年申请出国留学。

Here, everyone knows you’re talking about yourself, so 我 is understood.

But as a standalone sentence with no context, 我准备明年申请出国留学。 is clearer and more natural, especially for learners.

Is this sentence more spoken or written? Does it sound formal or casual?

我准备明年申请出国留学。 is:

Very natural in spoken Chinese
Also perfectly acceptable in informal written contexts (chat, email, personal statement draft, etc.)
Neutral in formality: not slangy, not very formal.

For a more formal written style (e.g., official documents), someone might write:

我计划于明年申请出国留学。
Using 计划 and 于 raises the formality level.