我需要你
wǒ xū yào nǐ
In Chinese, "I need you" is said as 我需要你 (wǒ xū yào nǐ).
我需要你 is used to express that someone is necessary for a specific task or for emotional support. It is the standard way to express functional necessity in a professional or task-oriented context, but it can also be used to express emotional dependency.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 我 (I), 需要 (need) and 你 (you).
Which one should you use?
While 我需要你 is a versatile phrase for both functional and emotional needs, other expressions exist for specific nuances. For example, 我离不开你 means "I can't be without you" and is used to express deep emotional attachment.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express needing someone to perform an action, you can place the verb phrase directly after the object 你, following the pattern 我需要你 + [verb phrase].
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ xū yào nǐ
Did you know?
- While 我需要你 is grammatically correct, Chinese culture often emphasizes implicit needs over explicit declarations, making the phrase sound unusually direct.
- In a professional setting, telling a colleague 我需要你 might sound overly personal or even romantic. To sound strictly professional, many people prefer using more specific verbs like 请 (please) or 麻烦你 (trouble you) to request help.
- In written Chinese, particularly in literature, the phrase might be rendered with more poetic terms like 渴求 (kěqiú), which means 'to thirst for'. This elevates the feeling from a simple need to an intense longing.
Examples in context
- 我需要你在這裡。I need you here.This sentence is useful for showing the location where someone is needed using 我需要你.Tatoeba #6075557 by verdastelo9604, translation #1887591 by CK
- 現在我需要你離開。Now I need you to leave.This sentence is useful for expressing a requirement for someone to leave using 我需要你.Tatoeba #6103039 by verdastelo9604, translation #5746238 by CM
- 我需要你幫我找湯姆。I need you to help me find Tom.This sentence is useful for expressing a need for someone to perform a specific task using 我需要你.Tatoeba #6169150 by verdastelo9604, translation #2387814 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
