تو چه میخواهی؟

A simple breakdown is:

• تو = you (singular, informal)
• چه = what
• می‌خواهی = you want

So the sentence is literally structured as you what want?

تو is the singular, informal you. You use it with:

• friends
• family members
• children
• people you know well

شما is the polite/formal form, and it can also mean you plural.

So if you wanted to say the same thing politely, you would say:

• شما چه می‌خواهید؟

Yes. Very often, Persian drops subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

So both of these are possible:

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟
• چه می‌خواهی؟

Because می‌خواهی already means you want for you singular, تو is not necessary unless you want emphasis, contrast, or extra clarity.

In Persian, question words like چه often appear before the verb.

So:

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟

is a normal Persian word order.

English says What do you want?, but Persian more literally follows:

• you what want?

This is one of those places where Persian word order does not match English exactly.

In this sentence, می marks the present/imperfective form of the verb. It is a very common prefix in Persian present-tense verbs.

Here:

• خواهی = a present form related to want
• می‌خواهی = you want / you are wanting

In natural English, you usually just translate it as you want.

The dictionary form is خواستن, meaning to want.

Its present stem is خواه.

Then Persian adds:

• می for the present/imperfective marker
• -ی for you singular

So:

• خواه
  • ی = خواهی
• می
  • خواهی = می‌خواهی

That is why می‌خواهی means you want.

The more standard modern spelling is:

• می‌خواهی

with a half-space or zero-width non-joiner between می and the verb.

You may also see:

• میخواهی

especially in casual typing or older habits.

Both are understood, but می‌خواهی is usually considered the better standard written form.

A rough pronunciation is:

• mi-khâ-hi

The important part for English speakers is خ, which sounds like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch, not like English k or h alone.

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• to che mi-khâ-hi?

In very careful speech, the final -hi is clearer. In everyday speech, it may sound more reduced.

They are closely related, but they differ in style.

• چه is standard and neutral
• چی is very common in everyday spoken Persian

So in conversation, many people would more naturally say:

• تو چی می‌خوای؟

instead of the more careful written-style:

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟

Both mean the same thing, but چی sounds more colloquial.

No. آیا is used mainly for yes/no questions in formal Persian.

For a wh-question with a word like چه (what), you do not use آیا.

So this is correct:

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟

But آیا would not normally go with چه here.

It is correct, but in everyday spoken Persian, people often use a more colloquial version:

• چی می‌خوای؟
• تو چی می‌خوای؟

Compared with تو چه می‌خواهی؟, these sound more conversational and less formal/bookish.

So:

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟ = correct, clear, somewhat more formal or written-style
• تو چی می‌خوای؟ = very common in speech

It can sound direct, depending on tone and context.

Just like English What do you want?, it can be:

• completely normal
• neutral
• impatient
• rude

The tone of voice matters a lot.

If you want to sound softer or more polite, you might say something like:

• چی می‌خوای؟ in a friendly tone
• چه چیزی می‌خواهید؟ in a more formal context
• چه کمکی از من برمی‌آید؟ if you want to sound more service-oriented or polite

So the sentence itself is not automatically rude, but context matters.

چه by itself is very common and completely normal.

• تو چه می‌خواهی؟

You can also say:

• چه چیزی می‌خواهی؟

which is more explicitly what thing do you want?

In many contexts, چه چیزی sounds a bit fuller or more careful, but چه is usually enough and more natural in ordinary speech.