Conversational Mandarin Chinese Quiz: Making Polite Requests
10 questions · exam conditions
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Making Polite RequestsQuestion 1 of 10

Wang Fang is a student speaking to her professor. She wants to leave class early because she feels sick. She says: '老师，我今天 早点儿走，我不太舒服。'

Wang Fang needs to communicate that she has to leave early due to illness — expressing obligation or necessity — while keeping her tone respectful toward her professor. Which modal best fills the blank?

需要 (xūyào) — conveying that she has a personal need or necessity to leave early, driven by her physical condition
想 (xiǎng) — conveying that she personally desires or feels like leaving early, regardless of her physical state
可以 (kěyǐ) — asking her professor for permission to leave early, turning the statement into a yes/no question
应该 (yīnggāi) — conveying that it would be advisable or recommended for her to leave, as though offering herself detached advice
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Conversational Mandarin Chinese Quiz

Conversational Mandarin Chinese Quiz: Making Polite Requests

Practice Making Polite Requests in Conversational Mandarin Chinese with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Making Polite Requests, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Conversational Mandarin Chinese.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Wang Fang is a student speaking to her professor. She wants to leave class early because she feels sick. She says: '老师，我今天 早点儿走，我不太舒服。'

Wang Fang needs to communicate that she has to leave early due to illness — expressing obligation or necessity — while keeping her tone respectful toward her professor. Which modal best fills the blank?

  1. 需要 (xūyào) — conveying that she has a personal need or necessity to leave early, driven by her physical condition (correct answer)
  2. 想 (xiǎng) — conveying that she personally desires or feels like leaving early, regardless of her physical state
  3. 可以 (kěyǐ) — asking her professor for permission to leave early, turning the statement into a yes/no question
  4. 应该 (yīnggāi) — conveying that it would be advisable or recommended for her to leave, as though offering herself detached advice
Explanation: When choosing a modal verb in Mandarin, ask yourself two things: what meaning does the speaker intend to convey, and what social dynamic is at play? Here, Wang Fang is explaining that her illness is forcing her to leave — she's communicating necessity driven by her physical condition, while still being polite to her professor. That's exactly what A) 需要 captures. 需要 expresses genuine need or necessity rooted in a real situation — in this case, feeling unwell. It tells the professor: "My condition requires this," which is both honest and appropriately respectful. It doesn't demand permission, but it clearly communicates that leaving isn't just a whim. B) 想 means "want to" or "feel like," which frames leaving as a personal desire rather than a medical necessity. Using 想 here would sound like Wang Fang simply prefers to leave, completely undercutting the seriousness of her illness as justification. C) 可以 means "can" or "may," and using it turns the sentence into a request for permission — something like "May I leave early?" While that's polite, it changes the grammatical structure entirely and doesn't express the obligation or necessity the question requires. D) 应该 means "should" or "ought to," suggesting advice or recommendation. It creates a strange, detached tone — as if Wang Fang is coaching herself from the outside rather than explaining her situation to the professor. Study tip: When a scenario involves necessity caused by an external circumstance (illness, urgency, obligation), 需要 is your go-to. Reserve 应该 for advice and 想 for desires.

Question 2

Li Ming is at a restaurant and wants to order tea, but he is not sure if the restaurant serves it. He turns to the waiter and says: '  给我一杯茶吗？'

Li Ming wants to make a polite request to the waiter asking if the waiter is able to bring him a cup of tea. Which expression best fills the blank to convey this meaning most naturally and politely in Mandarin?

  1. 你可以 (nǐ kěyǐ) — asking about the waiter's permission or ability to perform the action (correct answer)
  2. 你想 (nǐ xiǎng) — expressing the waiter's personal desire to perform the action
  3. 你应该 (nǐ yīnggāi) — suggesting the waiter has an obligation to perform the action
  4. 你需要 (nǐ xūyào) — implying the waiter has a need to perform the action
Explanation: When making polite requests in Mandarin, the key is choosing a modal verb that accurately reflects ability or permission rather than desire, obligation, or need. Think of modals as lenses — each one frames the action differently, so picking the wrong one sends a completely different social signal to your listener. In this scenario, Li Ming wants to ask whether the waiter is able to bring him tea — essentially a courteous "can you?" phrasing. That points directly to A) 你可以 (nǐ kěyǐ), which expresses capability or permission. The full sentence — 你可以给我一杯茶吗？ — translates naturally as "Can you bring me a cup of tea?" This is the standard, polite way to make a service request in Mandarin, equivalent to asking "Would you be able to...?" in English. B) 你想 (nǐ xiǎng) means "you want" or "you feel like," so the sentence would awkwardly ask the waiter if he personally desires to bring tea — not a request, but an odd inquiry into the waiter's preferences. C) 你应该 (nǐ yīnggāi) means "you should," implying the waiter has a duty or obligation, which comes across as presumptuous and rude rather than polite. D) 你需要 (nǐ xūyào) means "you need to," suggesting the waiter has a personal need to bring tea, which is both logically strange and socially inappropriate. A useful tip: when you want to make a polite request in Mandarin, default to 可以...吗？ — it's the safest, most natural "can you...?" structure and works across almost all everyday service and social situations.

Question 3

A student is studying for an important exam. Her tutor says to her: '你 每天复习，不然考试会不好。' The tutor is giving advice about what the student ought to do for her own benefit.

The tutor's sentence expresses a recommendation — what the student should do. However, a common learner error is choosing 需要 (xūyào) here instead of 应该 (yīnggāi). Which statement best explains why 应该 is the more precise choice in this context?

  1. 应该 expresses a normative recommendation ('you ought to'), while 需要 expresses a practical necessity ('you need to'); the tutor is advising the student on best practice, not stating an unavoidable requirement (correct answer)
  2. 应该 expresses personal desire, making the advice sound warm and encouraging, while 需要 sounds too cold and transactional for a tutoring relationship
  3. 应该 is used only in formal written Mandarin, so it is more appropriate in academic advice, while 需要 is too colloquial for this educational context
  4. 应该 implies the student already has the ability to review daily, confirming she can do it, while 需要 would incorrectly suggest she lacks the resources to study
Explanation: When choosing between modal expressions in Mandarin, the key question to ask yourself is: what kind of obligation or necessity is being expressed? Is it a normative recommendation (what someone ought to do based on best practice or social expectation), or a practical necessity (what someone needs because of an unavoidable requirement)? 应该 (yīnggāi) sits in the normative space — it conveys "ought to" or "should," framing advice as a recommendation about the right or wise course of action. In the tutor's sentence, she is guiding the student toward a good habit, not declaring that daily review is some inescapable physical or logistical requirement. That makes 应该 the precise fit, and A is correct. 需要 (xūyào), by contrast, means "need to" in the sense of practical necessity — it implies something is required to meet a condition or fill a gap. Using 需要 would reframe the tutor's advice as "you have a deficiency that must be filled," which subtly changes the meaning. B is wrong because 应该 carries no connotation of personal warmth or desire — that's closer to 想 (xiǎng) or 希望 (xīwàng). The contrast isn't emotional tone; it's the type of obligation expressed. C is wrong because 应该 is extremely common in everyday spoken Mandarin — it is not a formal-register-only word. D is wrong because neither 应该 nor 需要 makes any statement about the student's ability or resources; that reading is invented and not grammatically supported. Your study tip: build a mental shortcut — 应该 = "ought to" (normative), 需要 = "need to" (practical gap). When advice is about best practice, reach for 应该.

Question 4

Read the following short exchange: A: 你 帮我搬这个箱子吗？ B: 当然可以！没问题。 Speaker B's response uses 可以 and '没问题' (no problem), confirming they are responding to a request about their ability or willingness to help.

Speaker B's enthusiastic reply ('当然可以！没问题') most strongly confirms that Speaker A used which modal in the blank, and what would have been awkward or wrong about using 应该 (yīnggāi) instead?

  1. A used 应该 (yīnggāi); Speaker B's '当然可以' is a standard Mandarin affirmation that works equally well as a response to any modal request form
  2. A used 想 (xiǎng); using 应该 instead would express A's personal wish too weakly, because 应该 does not convey enough emotional sincerity in a request for physical help
  3. A used 需要 (xūyào); using 应该 would be wrong because 应该 only describes Speaker A's own recommendations, not a request directed at Speaker B
  4. A used 可以 (kěyǐ); using 应该 instead would imply Speaker B is obligated to help, making it sound rude or presumptuous rather than a polite request for assistance (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see a question about Mandarin modal verbs, the key is understanding not just what each modal means, but what social dynamic it creates between speakers. Ask yourself: does this modal make a polite request, express a personal desire, or impose an obligation? In this exchange, Speaker B responds with 当然可以 ("of course I can/may") — a reply that directly mirrors the modal 可以 (kěyǐ), which asks about permission or willingness. Speaker A is essentially asking, "Is it okay if you help me move this box?" That kind of polite, open-ended request invites exactly the response B gives. This confirms that D is correct: A used 可以, and the sentence reads as a considerate, face-saving request for help. Now consider why substituting 应该 would be problematic. 应该 expresses obligation or should — it implies that helping is something B ought to do by duty or moral expectation. Saying "你应该帮我搬这个箱子吗？" shifts the tone from a polite request to a presumptuous demand, which would likely make B uncomfortable rather than enthusiastic. That social awkwardness is exactly what D highlights. As for the wrong answers: A incorrectly claims 当然可以 works equally well with any modal — it doesn't; it specifically echoes 可以. B wrongly attributes the blank to 想, which expresses personal desire ("I want"), not a request directed at B. C suggests 需要 ("need"), but 需要 describes the speaker's own need, not a request framed around B's willingness. Study tip: When evaluating Mandarin modals in dialogue, always trace how Speaker B's reply mirrors or responds to the modal Speaker A used — that mirroring is your biggest clue.

Question 5

David is a Mandarin learner. He wants to say: 'My friend should eat more vegetables.' He produces the sentence: '我的朋友需要多吃蔬菜。' His Mandarin teacher says the sentence is understandable but that a different modal would better match his intended English meaning.

David's intended meaning is a recommendation or advice ('should eat'), but his sentence uses 需要 ('needs to eat'). Which sentence would the teacher most likely recommend, and what specific meaning shift does David's current sentence unintentionally create?

  1. '我的朋友可以多吃蔬菜。' — 可以 correctly conveys advice; David's sentence with 需要 incorrectly suggests his friend lacks the permission to eat vegetables, which is unintended
  2. '我的朋友应该多吃蔬菜。' — 应该 correctly conveys advice/recommendation; David's sentence with 需要 implies his friend has a medical or practical necessity to eat vegetables, which may be stronger than intended (correct answer)
  3. '我的朋友想多吃蔬菜。' — 想 correctly conveys advice because expressing the friend's desire to improve their diet is the most natural way to offer a health recommendation in Mandarin
  4. '我的朋友需要多吃蔬菜。' — the original sentence is already the best translation; 'should' and 'need to' are functionally identical in Mandarin health-advice contexts and no change is needed
Explanation: When tackling questions about Mandarin modal verbs, the key is understanding that different modals carry distinct semantic weights — advice, necessity, permission, and desire are not interchangeable, even when English translations feel similar. In David's intended meaning, "should eat" expresses a recommendation — the kind of gentle advice a friend or doctor might offer. The modal that best captures this in Mandarin is 应该, which conveys normative expectation or advice ("ought to / should"). That makes B the correct answer. 我的朋友应该多吃蔬菜 tells the listener that eating more vegetables is the right or advisable thing to do — exactly the register David wants. The teacher would recommend this because David's original sentence with 需要 shifts the meaning toward necessity or requirement, implying the friend needs to eat vegetables for some medical, practical, or urgent reason. This is a stronger, more clinical claim than a simple recommendation. Looking at the wrong answers: A suggests 可以, which expresses permission ("is allowed to / may"). Saying 我的朋友可以多吃蔬菜 sounds like granting approval, not offering advice — a completely different communicative act. C uses 想, which means "wants to" and describes the friend's personal desire, not the speaker's recommendation. David is the one giving advice, so projecting desire onto his friend misrepresents the situation entirely. D incorrectly claims 需要 and "should" are functionally identical in health contexts — they are not, since 需要 implies obligation driven by necessity, which is meaningfully stronger than advice. A helpful tip: memorize the modal "trio" — 想 (want), 需要 (need), 应该 (should) — as three distinct levels of speaker intent. Confusing them is one of the most common errors for intermediate learners on this exam.

Question 6

A student is taking a conversational Mandarin oral exam. The examiner asks: '你周末 做什么？' The student interprets this as asking what they want to do on the weekend and answers enthusiastically about their plans.

The examiner's question uses a blank where a modal should appear. If the examiner intended to ask 'What do you want to do this weekend?' — eliciting the student's desires and preferences — which modal completes the question, and why might a student incorrectly assume 可以 (kěyǐ) works equally well here?

  1. 可以 (kěyǐ) is correct; students confuse it with 想 because both appear frequently before activity verbs, but 可以 is the standard Mandarin form for asking about weekend preferences and plans
  2. 想 (xiǎng) is correct; students may mistakenly use 可以 because both precede activity verbs in future-oriented sentences, but 可以 asks 'what are you able to do,' shifting focus from desire to ability (correct answer)
  3. 需要 (xūyào) is correct; asking what someone needs to do on the weekend is the conventional Mandarin way to inquire about upcoming plans and personal priorities
  4. 应该 (yīnggāi) is correct; framing the question as what the student ought to do is a socially indirect style that, in Mandarin exam contexts, signals an invitation to discuss personal preferences
Explanation: When you see a question about Mandarin modals, your first instinct should be to identify the semantic role each modal plays — specifically, whether it expresses desire, ability, necessity, or obligation. These distinctions are critical because modals that look interchangeable in structure are actually quite different in meaning. 想 (xiǎng) is the correct modal here, making B the right answer. 想 directly expresses a speaker's internal desire or wish — "what do you want to do?" It targets the student's preferences, which is exactly what the examiner intends. The question 你周末想做什么 naturally invites the student to share personal plans and wishes. The temptation to choose A — 可以 (kěyǐ) — is understandable, and this is the trap the question is built around. 可以 means "can" or "may," indicating permission or ability, not desire. 你周末可以做什么 asks "what are you able to do this weekend?" — a subtle but important shift. Both 可以 and 想 precede activity verbs in future-oriented sentences, which is why students mix them up, but their core meanings point in completely different directions. C is wrong because 需要 (xūyào) means "need to," which implies obligation or necessity rather than personal preference — it would sound like you're asking about chores or responsibilities, not wishes. D is similarly off: 应该 (yīnggāi) means "should" or "ought to," expressing moral or practical obligation, which is far too formal and prescriptive for a question about weekend preferences. A helpful memory anchor: 想 = heart's desire (think of 想 containing the character 心, meaning "heart"), while 可以 = capability or permission. When a question asks about what someone wants, reach for 想 first.

Question 7

Mei is a new employee. Her manager tells her: '你 准时上班，这是公司规定。' (You   come to work on time; it's company policy.)

The manager is citing a company rule to communicate that punctuality is required, not merely recommended. A test-taker who confuses 应该 with 需要 might choose the wrong answer. Which modal is most appropriate, and which distractor represents that common confusion?

  1. 想 (xiǎng) is most appropriate because expressing a desire to follow rules sounds more employee-friendly; the common confusion is choosing 需要, which may sound harsh or threatening in a professional context
  2. 应该 (yīnggāi) is most appropriate because company rules are best framed as strong moral recommendations; the common confusion is choosing 需要, which sounds overly demanding for a professional workplace setting
  3. 可以 (kěyǐ) is most appropriate because the manager is reminding the employee she is permitted to arrive on time; the common confusion is choosing 想, which expresses personal desire rather than permission
  4. 需要 (xūyào) is most appropriate because it expresses a practical necessity imposed by external rules; the common confusion is choosing 应该, which conveys advisability rather than binding obligation (correct answer)
Explanation: When you encounter modal verb questions in Mandarin, ask yourself: is the action a matter of personal desire, permission, advisability, or external obligation? The manager here is citing a company rule — something structurally imposed, not personally recommended. 需要 (xūyào) is the right fit because it expresses necessity arising from an external requirement. Company policy is exactly that kind of binding, practical constraint. The sentence '你需要准时上班' communicates that punctuality isn't optional — it's required by the system the employee now belongs to. This makes D the correct answer. The distractor worth studying carefully is 应该 (yīnggāi), which conveys moral advisability or strong recommendation — something like "you should / ought to" in English. It implies the speaker believes this is the right course of action, but it leaves room for judgment. Company rules, however, don't operate on moral persuasion; they operate on obligation. Choosing 应该 here subtly softens the rule into a suggestion, which misrepresents the manager's intent. That's the core confusion option B exploits by dressing it up as a strength. Option A is wrong because 想 (xiǎng) expresses personal desire ("I want to"), which is completely misaligned — the manager isn't expressing the employee's wishes. Option C is wrong because 可以 (kěyǐ) signals permission ("you may"), not requirement; if anything, it would mean the employee is allowed to arrive on time, not that she must. Your study tip: pair 需要 with external rules or requirements, and 应该 with personal advice or moral expectation — the distinction between "the system demands it" and "I think it's right" is a frequent test trap.

Question 8

A language learner writes the following sentence intended to mean 'I want to drink some water': 学生写道：'我需要喝点水。' The teacher marks it as 'not wrong, but not the best choice for this meaning.'

The teacher's comment suggests the student's modal choice is technically acceptable but creates a slight meaning shift. Which statement most accurately explains the difference between 需要 (xūyào) and 想 (xiǎng) in this sentence, and why the teacher's feedback is justified?

  1. 需要 can only be used with nouns as its object, so using it before the verb phrase 喝点水 is a grammatical error that the teacher is politely flagging as unnatural
  2. 需要 is a more formal register than 想, so the teacher is suggesting the student use simpler, more casual vocabulary when speaking about everyday actions like drinking water
  3. 需要 implies the water is a physical necessity (e.g., dehydration), while 想 expresses a voluntary desire or preference; since the student likely meant a simple desire, 想 is more precise for the intended meaning (correct answer)
  4. 需要 expresses a future obligation, meaning the sentence implies the student will need water later rather than right now, whereas 想 correctly anchors the desire in the present moment
Explanation: When you see a question comparing Chinese modal words, ask yourself: what is the speaker's internal relationship to the action? Is it a felt desire, a rational need, or an obligation? That distinction is exactly what separates 想 (xiǎng) from 需要 (xūyào). 想 expresses a subjective, voluntary desire — something you want or feel like doing. 需要, by contrast, signals necessity or requirement, often implying an objective reason compels the action (like thirst from dehydration, or a doctor's instruction). So 我需要喝点水 subtly communicates "I need water" (there's a physical or practical reason), while 我想喝点水 simply means "I want/would like some water." Since everyday conversational Mandarin for expressing a casual drink preference uses 想, the teacher's feedback is entirely justified — the student's sentence isn't wrong, it just implies more urgency or necessity than intended. That makes C the most accurate explanation. A is factually incorrect — 需要 can absolutely take a verb phrase as its object. Sentences like 我需要去 are perfectly grammatical, so there's no hidden error being politely flagged. B misidentifies the issue as register (formal vs. casual). Both words are common in everyday speech; the distinction is semantic meaning, not formality level. D incorrectly claims 需要 anchors meaning in the future. 需要 describes present necessity, not future obligation — that's a confusion with words like 将要 (jiāngyào) or 要 used in a future sense. Study tip: Build a mental contrast pair — 想 = desire, 需要 = necessity. When you see modal choices on this exam, always identify whether the sentence expresses want or requirement before selecting.

Question 9

Zhang Wei is asking a favor from a colleague he does not know well. He wants to ask: 'Would it be possible for you to lend me a pen?' He is trying to be as polite as possible. He says: '你 借我一支笔吗？'

Zhang Wei wants to maximize politeness. In Mandarin, which construction most effectively softens a request to a relative stranger, and why would using 想 (xiǎng) in this sentence actually reduce the politeness level rather than increase it?

  1. 需要 (xūyào) is most polite because framing the loan as a necessity signals that Zhang Wei would not ask unless truly required, which shows respect for the colleague's time and resources
  2. 应该 (yīnggāi) is most polite because invoking social norms of mutual aid softens the request by appealing to shared values, making it less of a direct personal ask than 可以 would be
  3. 可以 (kěyǐ) is most polite because it asks about the colleague's ability or willingness, deferring control to them; 想 questions the colleague's personal desire to help, which feels oddly intrusive for a simple practical request (correct answer)
  4. 想 (xiǎng) is most polite because asking whether the colleague wants to help gives them an easy emotional exit, making refusal less awkward in a professional environment with a relative stranger
Explanation: When choosing polite request constructions in Mandarin, the key question is: who holds the power in the sentence? The most courteous phrasing defers control to the listener, framing the request around their ability or willingness rather than projecting assumptions onto them. This is exactly why C is correct. 可以 (kěyǐ) functions as a permission/ability marker — "你可以借我一支笔吗？" essentially asks "Is it possible for you to lend me a pen?" It positions the colleague as the decision-maker and remains emotionally neutral. Crucially, 想 (xiǎng) means to want or to feel like doing something. Asking "你想借我一支笔吗？" translates closer to "Do you want to lend me a pen?" — which probes the colleague's personal desires. With a stranger, this feels oddly intimate and can put them on the spot emotionally, actually increasing awkwardness rather than reducing it. Answer A is wrong because 需要 (xūyào) means "need to" — placing the emphasis on Zhang Wei's own necessity rather than inviting the colleague's cooperation. It doesn't soften the request; it just frames the urgency. Answer B is wrong because 应该 (yīnggāi) means "should," which implies obligation. Telling a near-stranger they should lend you something is presumptuous and arguably the least polite option here. Answer D gets the logic of 想 exactly backwards — probing someone's emotional desire to help a near-stranger is intrusive, not considerate. A useful rule of thumb: in Mandarin polite requests, ability/permission markers (可以, 能) almost always outperform desire markers (想) with people you don't know well.

Question 10

Chen Hao asks his friend: '你明天有空吗？我们 一起去看电影。' His friend responds enthusiastically, showing it was clearly an invitation expressing Chen Hao's own wish, not a question about his friend's ability or a statement of obligation.

Based on the context — that Chen Hao is expressing his own desire to do something together — which modal makes the most sense in the blank, and why would choosing 可以 (kěyǐ) instead be a subtle but meaningful error here?

  1. 想 (xiǎng) is correct; it expresses Chen Hao's personal desire to spend time together, whereas 可以 would shift the meaning toward logical possibility or permission rather than a heartfelt wish (correct answer)
  2. 可以 (kěyǐ) is correct; it politely frames the outing as something permitted to happen, whereas 想 would sound too emotionally forward and direct in Mandarin social contexts
  3. 应该 (yīnggāi) is correct; suggesting they should see a movie together is the most natural way to extend a casual invitation among friends, and 可以 would sound too tentative by comparison
  4. 需要 (xūyào) is correct; framing the invitation as a mutual need makes it more compelling, whereas 可以 merely implies the outing is optional rather than truly desired
Explanation: When answering questions about Mandarin modal verbs, always ask yourself: whose internal state is being expressed, and what kind of relationship exists between the speaker and the action? This question tests whether you can distinguish between modals that express personal desire versus permission, obligation, or necessity. Chen Hao is voicing his own wish — he wants to go to the movies together. That makes 想 (xiǎng) the natural fit, since 想 directly communicates a speaker's inner desire or hope. The sentence becomes "我们想一起去看电影" — "I'd like for us to go see a movie together" — which matches the enthusiastic, invitation-style response from his friend perfectly. A confirms this logic: 想 anchors the sentence in Chen Hao's personal feelings, giving the invitation warmth and sincerity. B is tempting if you associate 可以 with politeness, but 可以 actually signals permission or logical possibility ("it's okay to," "one can"). Swapping it in would make Chen Hao sound like he's checking whether the outing is permissible rather than expressing that he wants it — a subtle but real shift in meaning and tone that would confuse a native listener about his intent. C is wrong because 应该 (yīnggāi) implies obligation or moral expectation — essentially "we should go." That's too prescriptive for a casual, warm invitation between friends and completely misreads Chen Hao's emotional register. D is wrong because 需要 (xūyào) means "to need," framing the outing as a necessity rather than a desire — awkward and socially odd in this context. Study tip: Memorize this quick trio — 想 = desire, 可以 = permission/possibility, 应该 = obligation. When a sentence reflects the speaker's feelings, 想 is almost always your anchor.