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要看 / 得看 (it depends on)
IntroducedYour saved position stays in this browser. Resuming does not complete the lesson or answer its questions.
Are we going or not?
- Your friend asks if the hike is still on for Saturday.
- to go去or not不to go去want / will / need要to see看weather天气。 — "Whether we go depends on the weather."
… want / will / need要to see看 / (degree marker)得to see看 + deciding factor
- want / will / need要to see看 / (degree marker)得to see看 (děi kàn) + X = "it depends on X": what is undecided comes first, then the factor.
- The undecided part is often A-not-A or a question word: to go去or not不to go去, what什么time时候, how about怎么样.
buy买or not不buy买depends on要看the price价格。
Complete: “Whether we go depends on the weather.” 去不去____天气。
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Undecided matter + 要看 + factor.
Short answers
- A: you你tomorrow明天to come来(yes/no ?)吗？ B: (degree marker)得to see看the situation情况。 — "It depends."
- achievement成绩(coll.) all right?好不好，main主要to see看you你effort努力or not不effort努力。 — "Whether your results are good mainly depends on whether you work hard."
depends on得看the situation情况。
Build: “Whether your results are good depends on whether you work hard.”
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Undecided matter + 要看 + factor.
Order and reading
- Put the undecided matter first, then want / will / need要to see看 + factor: to go去or not不to go去want / will / need要to see看weather天气, not want / will / need要to see看weather天气to go去or not不to go去 in most speech.
- In (degree marker)得to see看, (degree marker)得 is read děi ("must"), not de.
How is 得 read in 得看情况?
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Here 得 means “must, have to” and is read děi: 得看情况 “It depends on the situation.” As a particle after a verb it is de; dé means “obtain”.
want / will / need要to see看 versus to decide (to do something)决定(of time or place) in于 / depends on取决于
- depends on取决于 is the formal written form: the result结果depends on取决于everyone's大家(modifier / structural particle)的effort努力 — "The result depends on everyone's effort."
- want / will / need要to see看 / (degree marker)得to see看 is the everyday spoken form.
the result结果depends on取决于everyone's大家的effort努力。
取决于 is the formal written equivalent of 要看.
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结果取决于… = the result depends on ….
Recap
- Undecided matter + want / will / need要to see看 / (degree marker)得to see看 + factor = it depends on ….
- (degree marker)得to see看the situation情况 = it depends; formal depends on取决于. (degree marker)得 here = děi.
Read the full reference: HSK 4 grammar — Verbs.
Your friend asks if the hike is still on for Saturday. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.