HSK 4
要是
yàoshi
if
Structure
要是 + [Condition] + (的话), [Subject] + 就 + [Result]
How it works
The word 要是 (yàoshi) is a common way to express 'if' in spoken and informal Chinese. It is often paired with the particle '的话' (de huà) at the end of the conditional clause and '就' (jiù) in the result clause to indicate the consequence.
Examples
要是你明天有空，我们就去逛街吧。
Yàoshi nǐ míngtiān yǒu kòng, wǒmen jiù qù guàngjiē ba.
If you are free tomorrow, let's go shopping.
要是下雨的话，比赛就取消了。
Yàoshi xiàyǔ de huà, bǐsài jiù qǔxiāo le.
If it rains, the match will be canceled.
要是你不喜欢这份工作，就换一个吧。
Yàoshi nǐ bù xǐhuān zhè fèn gōngzuò, jiù huàn yī gè ba.
If you don't like this job, just change to another one.
Common mistakes
Forgetting to place '就' (jiù) before the verb in the second clause to connect the condition to the result.
Tip
Think of '要是...的话' (yàoshi... de huà) as a set of brackets that wrap around your condition; while '的话' is optional, using it makes your speech sound more natural and rhythmic.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 要是 in real Chinese
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