How to Say Your Weekend Plans in Mandarin Chinese: Using 要 and 会 for Future Activities
Learn to talk about your upcoming weekend in Mandarin: say 'I'm going hiking' or 'I'm just relaxing at home' using future forms 要 and 会. Focus on your own schedule, not inviting others.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about your own weekend plans in Mandarin Chinese. Unlike making plans with others, which often involves asking questions and suggesting activities, this lesson focuses on stating what you will do. You'll use the future markers 要 (yào) and 会 (huì) to express intentions and predictions about your own schedule. By the end, you'll be able to say simple sentences like 'I'm going hiking' or 'I'm just relaxing at home.' We'll practice with common weekend activities and show you how to form negative sentences and ask about others' plans. No prior knowledge of Chinese characters is needed; we provide pinyin with tone marks and simplified characters.
By the end, you can…
- state my own weekend plans using 要 (yào) and 会 (huì).
- talk about common weekend activities like hiking and relaxing at home.
- ask someone about their weekend plans using 要 (yào) or 会 (huì).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
我要去爬山。
I'm going hiking.
wǒ yào qù pá shān
Use 要 (yào) to express a firm intention or plan. This is a straightforward way to say you will go hiking.
我会在家休息。
I'll just relax at home.
wǒ huì zài jiā xiū xi
Use 会 (huì) to express a likely future action or a softer plan. 在家 (zài jiā) means 'at home'.
周末我要去爬山。
I'm going hiking this weekend.
zhōu mò wǒ yào qù pá shān
Add 周末 (zhōu mò) 'weekend' at the beginning to specify the time.
我不去爬山。
I'm not going hiking.
wǒ bú qù pá shān
To negate a plan with 去 (qù), use 不 (bù) before 去 (qù). 不 (bù) becomes bú before a fourth tone.
你会做什么？
What will you do?
nǐ huì zuò shén me
Ask about someone's plans using 会 (huì) + verb. This is a common way to inquire about future activities.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To talk about your own future plans, use the pattern: Subject + 要/会 + Verb Phrase. 要 (yào) often indicates a strong intention or decision, like 我要去爬山 (wǒ yào qù pá shān) 'I'm going hiking.' 会 (huì) can indicate a predicted or softer future action, like 我会在家休息 (wǒ huì zài jiā xiū xi) 'I'll relax at home.' Both can be used for weekend plans, but 要 (yào) sounds more definite. For negation, use 不 (bù) before 要 (yào) or 会 (huì): 我不要去 (wǒ bú yào qù) 'I don't want to go' or 我不会去 (wǒ bú huì qù) 'I won't go.' Note that 不要 (bú yào) can also mean 'don't' as a command, so context matters.
When to use it
Use 要 (yào) when you have a firm plan or intention, such as 我要去爬山 (wǒ yào qù pá shān) 'I'm going hiking.' Use 会 (huì) when you're less certain or when the action is a natural consequence, like 我会在家休息 (wǒ huì zài jiā xiū xi) 'I'll relax at home.' When asking about others' plans, 你周末要做什么？(nǐ zhōu mò yào zuò shén me?) 'What are you doing this weekend?' is common. If you want to be more casual, you can omit the subject: 要去爬山 (yào qù pá shān) 'Going hiking.' But including the subject is clearer for beginners.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
周末你要做什么？
What are you doing this weekend?zhōu mò nǐ yào zuò shén me我要去爬山。你呢？
I'm going hiking. How about you?wǒ yào qù pá shān. nǐ ne我会在家休息。
I'll relax at home.wǒ huì zài jiā xiū xi那很好。
That's nice.nà hěn hǎoA little context goes a long way
In Chinese, talking about weekend plans is common small talk. Using 要 (yào) can sound more decisive, while 会 (huì) may sound softer. It's fine to share your plans without inviting others; Chinese speakers often ask 你呢？(nǐ ne?) 'How about you?' to keep the conversation going, but it's not a direct invitation. If you want to invite someone, you'd say 你要一起去吗？(nǐ yào yì qǐ qù ma?) 'Do you want to go together?'
One thing to watch for
Using 不要 (bú yào) to mean 'I won't' in a neutral statement, as in 我不要去爬山 (wǒ bú yào qù pá shān) for 'I won't go hiking.'
Try this instead: While 不要 (bú yào) can mean 'I don't want to,' it often sounds like a command 'don't' when used with 去 (qù). To negate a future plan neutrally, use 不会 (bú huì): 我不会去爬山 (wǒ bú huì qù pá shān) 'I won't go hiking.' Or use 不去 (bú qù) without 要: 我不去爬山 (wǒ bú qù pá shān) 'I'm not going hiking.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I'm going hiking this weekend' using 要?
Show a sample answer
周末我要去爬山。
This uses 要 (yào) to express a firm plan. You can also say 我要周末去爬山, but placing 周末 first is more common. Both are correct.
2Translate: 'I'll relax at home.' Use 会.
Show a sample answer
我会在家休息。
会 (huì) indicates a likely future action. 在家 (zài jiā) means 'at home,' and 休息 (xiū xi) means 'rest.' You could also say 我会在家放松 (wǒ huì zài jiā fàng sōng), but 休息 is more common.
3Ask someone 'What will you do this weekend?' using 要.
Show a sample answer
周末你要做什么？
This is a straightforward question. You can also use 会: 周末你会做什么？(zhōu mò nǐ huì zuò shén me?) Both are fine, but 要 is more common for asking about plans.
Use 要 (yào) for firm plans and 会 (huì) for softer predictions when talking about your weekend. Remember to negate with 不 (bù) before the verb phrase, and avoid 不要 (bú yào) for neutral statements.
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