准备

准备 (zhǔnbèi) means 'to prepare' or 'to get ready' — and, importantly, it doubles as an auxiliary verb meaning 'to plan to' or 'to be about to.' Three patterns to know. First, as a regular verb: 准备 + object — 准备晚饭 ('prepare dinner'), 准备考试 ('prepare for an exam'). Second, as an auxiliary: 准备 + verb — 我准备去北京 ('I plan to go to Beijing'), 他准备睡觉了 ('he's about to sleep').

Third, as a noun: 做准备 ('to make preparations'). The reflexive 'get yourself ready' is usually 准备好 ('ready'): 你准备好了吗？ ('are you ready?'). Unlike English 'prepare,' which often needs 'for' (prepare for a test), Chinese 准备 takes the object directly — no preposition needed.