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How to Say ‘Should we / do we want to’ in Simplified Chinese

要不要

yào bù yào

[yaow boo yaow]

💬 Usage Tip: [要不要] is a gentle yes-no pattern: literally "want-or-not-want," often used like "shall we" or "do you want to." You can reuse it with verbs: [要不要试试?] "Want to try?"

Phrase Breakdown

要不要

yào bù yào

[yaow boo yaow]

want to or not; should we...?

A common A-not-A question pattern used to make suggestions gently and ask for agreement.

Example

要不要先从晚饭开始改?

Would you like to start by changing dinner first?

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