要 / 想【yào / xiǎng】

想 and 要 both translate "want", at different strengths. 想 is a wish: "would like to", "feel like". 要 is a want you mean to act on, and is often closer to "going to".

The first is a hope. The second is a plan, maybe with the ticket already bought.

Before a noun

要 takes a noun directly: it's how you order. 想 needs 要 after it to mean "want" a thing; 想 + a person means "miss".

• × 我想一杯咖啡 → 我想要一杯咖啡

With 很

想 takes 很, 非常 or 真 for "really want to". 要 doesn't.

• × 我很要去 → 我很想去

The negatives

不想 is "don't want to". 不要 before a verb is usually "don't!", an order to someone else. So "I don't want to go" is 不想.

With 我 as the subject, 我不要去 is a flat refusal, "I'm not going!", where 我不想去 states a feeling.