VerbsHSK 4

Expressing "mistakenly think that" with 以为

Use 以为 when someone mistakenly believed something, unlike neutral verbs like 想 or 觉得. It often appears when realizing a past error, and can also form commands like 不要以为 (don't think that...).

Structure

Subj. + 以为 + Incorrect Statement

不要 + 以为 + Statement

used for negative commands, like 'don't think that...'

Examples

我以为他是德国人。
Wǒ yǐwéi tā shì Déguó rén.
I thought he was German.
你以为你是谁？
Nǐ yǐwéi nǐ shì shéi?
Who do you think you are?
老师以为学生都听懂了。
Lǎoshī yǐwéi xuéshēng dōu tīngdǒng le.
The teacher thought all the students understood.
不要以为他是你的朋友。
Bùyào yǐwéi tā shì nǐ de péngyou.
Don't think that he's your friend.
我看到那张照片，以为你有男朋友了。
Wǒ kàndào nà zhāng zhàopiàn, yǐwéi nǐ yǒu nánpéngyou le.
I saw that picture and I thought you had a boyfriend.

Words that use this

以为yǐ wéito think (i.e. to take it to be true that ...) (Usually there is an implication that the notion is mistaken – except when expressing one's own current opinion.)