要
是

About

The word "要是" is formed by combining the character "要", which here functions as a conditional marker meaning "if" or "when", with the character "是", which acts as a copula meaning "is" and adds emphasis to the condition. This fusion creates a fixed compound conjunction where "要" introduces a hypothetical scenario and "是" solidifies its factual basis, resulting in a single lexical unit meaning "if" or "in case".

Example Sentences Hide

要是你累了，就休息吧。

Yàoshì nǐ lèi le, jiù xiūxi ba.

If you are tired, just rest.

要是明天天气好，我们去公园玩。

Yàoshì míngtiān tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen qù gōngyuán wán.

If the weather is good tomorrow, we will go to the park to play.

要是你早点儿告诉我，我就不会迟到了。

Yàoshì nǐ zǎo diǎnr gàosù wǒ, wǒ jiù bù huì chídào le.

If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have been late.

要是我有足够的钱，我就买一辆新汽车。

Yàoshì wǒ yǒu zúgòu de qián, wǒ jiù mǎi yī liàng xīn qìchē.

If I had enough money, I would buy a new car.

要是当时你知道事情的真相，你会做出不同的决定吗？

Yàoshì dāngshí nǐ zhīdào shìqíng de zhēnxiàng, nǐ huì zuòchū bùtóng de juédìng ma?

If you had known the truth of the matter at that time, would you have made a different decision?

Word Definition - 要是

yào shi (coll.) if

Individual Character Details

要 yāo, yào
是 shì, shì