WEBVTT

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哈囉，大家好!
哈啰，大家好！I’m Grace.

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In Chinese, 如果 and 要是 are two common words that can express “If”.

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But what exactly are the differences between them?

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Today let’s talk about them

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so you’ll know how to choose between
them

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to sound more natural in Chinese!

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Oh, and if you want the handout for this video and some practice exercises,

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you can join my Patreon membership!

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You'll get access to that and lots of other study resources,

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and you'll also be supporting me to keep making more content.

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Alright (Without further ado. Let’s get started!)

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Both 如果 and 要是 can be used to introduce a condition

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or situation that may or may not come true.

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For example,

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Here we use 如果 and 要是 to propose

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a hypothetical situation “ (you’re busy tomorrow)”,

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and then talk about a result based on this hypothetical situation.

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Btw just a side note,

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the standard pronunciation of this word is “要是4” in Taiwanese Mandarin

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and “要是0” in Mandarin from China.

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One thing to keep in mind is that

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in Chinese the “if” clause usually comes first,

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and then we talk about the result or pose a question

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or comment based on the hypothetical situation.

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In English, the “if” clause can often be placed at the end,

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but in Chinese, it’s not as common.

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Alright, now let’s talk about the difference between these two words.

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Generally speaking, 如果 is more commonly used both in speaking and writing,

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whereas 要是 sounds more casual so it’s mainly used in informal speaking,

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you can often hear it in daily conversations.

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Although 如果 is more common,

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this doesn’t mean that 要是 is less important than 如果,

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there are still some contexts where 要是 is more suitable than 如果

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because they also have some subtle differences in the feeling or mood that is expressed.

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Compared to 如果, 要是 sounds more emotional and personal,

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and 如果 is more neutral and sounds more objective.

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Because of this difference, when expressing personal hopes or desires in daily speech, we often use 要是.

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Let’s see some examples:

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Another example,

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Here is a common pattern to express a wish that probably won’t be fulfilled:

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It means If only... or I wish...

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For example

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Another example,

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要是 is also often used when threatening or warning others.

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Here are some examples:

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Here the man is threatening the woman to say yes,

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and he uses 要是 here because it makes his attitude sound more strong and firm.

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Another example,

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Here the speaker is warning the other person not to let him get caught,

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and using 要是 can convey a stronger attitude compared to 如果.

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Unlike 要是, 如果 sounds more neutral and objective,

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so it’s suitable to use in most scenarios and settings.

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For example, you can use 如果 to make a polite suggestion

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Another example,

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Here are some other examples using 如果

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Alright, so the main difference between 如果 and 要是 is that

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如果 is more commonly used in general

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you can use it both in speaking and writing.

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However, 要是 sounds more casual so it’s mainly used in speaking.

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It also sounds more emotional and personal,

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so we often use it when expressing personal wishes

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or when we want to sound firmer in our attitude,

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such as in situations involving threats or warnings.

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Just note that in spoken Chinese, these two are usually interchangeable.

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It's not that one is correct and the other is wrong—

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they just convey slightly different attitudes or levels of formality.

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Okay, that’s all for today!

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I haven’t made a teaching video in quite a while—

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thank you so much for your patience!

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Just a quick reminder

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If you want to get the handout for this video and do some practice exercises,

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you can join my Patreon membership.

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It’s also a great way to support me in making more content for you!

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If you liked today’s content,

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you might also enjoy this video

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where I explain the difference between (but) and (but).

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Also, if there are any other words you’ve been wondering about their difference,

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feel free to leave a comment and let me know—

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it might turn into a future video!

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Okay, last but not least,

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if you want to learn some daily Mandarin expressions,

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be sure to check out my Instagram @gracemandarin

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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!