1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,731
哈囉，大家好!
哈啰，大家好！I’m Grace.

2
00:00:01,731 --> 00:00:07,503
In Chinese, 如果 and 要是 are two common words that can express “If”.

3
00:00:07,503 --> 00:00:10,584
But what exactly are the differences between them?

4
00:00:10,584 --> 00:00:12,010
Today let’s talk about them

5
00:00:12,010 --> 00:00:14,057
so you’ll know how to choose between
them

6
00:00:14,057 --> 00:00:16,383
to sound more natural in Chinese!

7
00:00:16,383 --> 00:00:20,183
Oh, and if you want the handout for this video and some practice exercises,

8
00:00:20,183 --> 00:00:22,296
you can join my Patreon membership!

9
00:00:22,296 --> 00:00:25,999
You'll get access to that and lots of other study resources,

10
00:00:26,709 --> 00:00:29,950
and you'll also be supporting me to keep making more content.

11
00:00:29,950 --> 00:00:32,912
Alright (Without further ado. Let’s get started!)

12
00:00:36,923 --> 00:00:40,860
Both 如果 and 要是 can be used to introduce a condition

13
00:00:40,860 --> 00:00:43,923
or situation that may or may not come true.

14
00:00:43,923 --> 00:00:45,254
For example,

15
00:01:22,298 --> 00:01:27,475
Here we use 如果 and 要是 to propose

16
00:01:27,475 --> 00:01:35,215
a hypothetical situation “ (you’re busy tomorrow)”,

17
00:01:35,215 --> 00:01:41,004
and then talk about a result based on this hypothetical situation.

18
00:01:41,004 --> 00:01:42,580
Btw just a side note,

19
00:01:42,580 --> 00:01:51,470
the standard pronunciation of this word is “要是4” in Taiwanese Mandarin

20
00:01:51,470 --> 00:01:57,094
and “要是0” in Mandarin from China.

21
00:01:57,094 --> 00:01:58,519
One thing to keep in mind is that

22
00:01:58,519 --> 00:02:02,526
in Chinese the “if” clause usually comes first,

23
00:02:02,526 --> 00:02:06,303
and then we talk about the result or pose a question

24
00:02:06,303 --> 00:02:10,186
or comment based on the hypothetical situation.

25
00:02:10,186 --> 00:02:14,019
In English, the “if” clause can often be placed at the end,

26
00:02:14,019 --> 00:02:16,503
but in Chinese, it’s not as common.

27
00:02:17,613 --> 00:02:21,389
Alright, now let’s talk about the difference between these two words.

28
00:02:21,389 --> 00:02:27,169
Generally speaking, 如果 is more commonly used both in speaking and writing,

29
00:02:27,169 --> 00:02:32,372
whereas 要是 sounds more casual so it’s mainly used in informal speaking,

30
00:02:32,372 --> 00:02:35,322
you can often hear it in daily conversations.

31
00:02:35,322 --> 00:02:37,568
Although 如果 is more common,

32
00:02:37,568 --> 00:02:41,722
this doesn’t mean that 要是 is less important than 如果,

33
00:02:41,722 --> 00:02:46,126
there are still some contexts where 要是 is more suitable than 如果

34
00:02:46,126 --> 00:02:51,462
because they also have some subtle differences in the feeling or mood that is expressed.

35
00:02:51,462 --> 00:02:56,216
Compared to 如果, 要是 sounds more emotional and personal,

36
00:02:56,216 --> 00:02:59,846
and 如果 is more neutral and sounds more objective.

37
00:02:59,846 --> 00:03:07,506
Because of this difference, when expressing personal hopes or desires in daily speech, we often use 要是.

38
00:03:07,583 --> 00:03:10,265
Let’s see some examples:

39
00:03:32,265 --> 00:03:34,015
Another example,

40
00:04:01,153 --> 00:04:06,192
Here is a common pattern to express a wish that probably won’t be fulfilled:

41
00:04:14,313 --> 00:04:15,445
It means If only... or I wish...

42
00:04:17,647 --> 00:04:19,197
For example

43
00:04:34,309 --> 00:04:36,326
Another example,

44
00:04:52,210 --> 00:04:56,836
要是 is also often used when threatening or warning others.

45
00:04:56,836 --> 00:04:58,913
Here are some examples:

46
00:05:31,995 --> 00:05:35,178
Here the man is threatening the woman to say yes,

47
00:05:35,368 --> 00:05:42,241
and he uses 要是 here because it makes his attitude sound more strong and firm.

48
00:05:42,241 --> 00:05:44,463
Another example,

49
00:06:03,683 --> 00:06:08,069
Here the speaker is warning the other person not to let him get caught,

50
00:06:08,069 --> 00:06:14,131
and using 要是 can convey a stronger attitude compared to 如果.

51
00:06:14,371 --> 00:06:19,451
Unlike 要是, 如果 sounds more neutral and objective,

52
00:06:19,451 --> 00:06:23,282
so it’s suitable to use in most scenarios and settings.

53
00:06:23,282 --> 00:06:28,334
For example, you can use 如果 to make a polite suggestion

54
00:06:47,453 --> 00:06:49,173
Another example,

55
00:07:12,955 --> 00:07:16,015
Here are some other examples using 如果

56
00:08:14,841 --> 00:08:19,052
Alright, so the main difference between 如果 and 要是 is that

57
00:08:19,052 --> 00:08:22,194
如果 is more commonly used in general

58
00:08:22,194 --> 00:08:24,854
you can use it both in speaking and writing.

59
00:08:24,854 --> 00:08:29,804
However, 要是 sounds more casual so it’s mainly used in speaking.

60
00:08:29,804 --> 00:08:32,854
It also sounds more emotional and personal,

61
00:08:32,854 --> 00:08:36,088
so we often use it when expressing personal wishes

62
00:08:36,088 --> 00:08:38,904
or when we want to sound firmer in our attitude,

63
00:08:38,904 --> 00:08:42,600
such as in situations involving threats or warnings.

64
00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:47,169
Just note that in spoken Chinese, these two are usually interchangeable.

65
00:08:47,169 --> 00:08:50,370
It's not that one is correct and the other is wrong—

66
00:08:50,370 --> 00:08:54,713
they just convey slightly different attitudes or levels of formality.

67
00:08:54,897 --> 00:08:56,290
Okay, that’s all for today!

68
00:08:56,290 --> 00:08:58,935
I haven’t made a teaching video in quite a while—

69
00:08:58,935 --> 00:09:01,525
thank you so much for your patience!

70
00:09:01,525 --> 00:09:02,604
Just a quick reminder

71
00:09:02,604 --> 00:09:07,064
If you want to get the handout for this video and do some practice exercises,

72
00:09:07,064 --> 00:09:09,135
you can join my Patreon membership.

73
00:09:09,135 --> 00:09:13,261
It’s also a great way to support me in making more content for you!

74
00:09:14,081 --> 00:09:15,776
If you liked today’s content,

75
00:09:15,776 --> 00:09:17,481
you might also enjoy this video

76
00:09:17,481 --> 00:09:21,581
where I explain the difference between (but) and (but).

77
00:09:21,581 --> 00:09:25,178
Also, if there are any other words you’ve been wondering about their difference,

78
00:09:25,178 --> 00:09:28,063
feel free to leave a comment and let me know—

79
00:09:28,063 --> 00:09:30,185
it might turn into a future video!

80
00:09:30,185 --> 00:09:31,598
Okay, last but not least,

81
00:09:31,598 --> 00:09:34,300
if you want to learn some daily Mandarin expressions,

82
00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:37,643
be sure to check out my Instagram @gracemandarin

83
00:09:37,643 --> 00:09:40,951
那我們下次見囉!拜拜!
那我们下次⻅啰!拜拜!
I’ll see you next time! Bye!