To Want in Persian

In Brief

The Persian verb خواستن (khāstan, “to want”) has the present forms می‌خواهم (mikhāham, “I want”), می‌خواهی (mikhāhi, “you want”), and so on. Put a noun directly before it—آب می‌خواهم (“I want water”)—but use a subjunctive verb after it when you want to do something: می‌خواهم بروم (“I want to go”). In everyday speech, these forms contract: می‌خوام برم (mikhām beram).

Overview

خواستن is one of the most useful Persian verbs. You need it to say what you want, ask what somebody else wants, order food, make plans, and refuse something. Its dictionary form, خواستن, is an infinitive (the form listed in a dictionary, like English “to want”). This is an A1 topic, but it introduces an important Persian sentence pattern that you will keep using at later levels.

There are two basic constructions. If the thing wanted is a noun—a person, place, thing, or idea—put that noun before خواستن: چای می‌خواهم (“I want tea”). If the wanted action is another verb, Persian normally uses a subjunctive form (a verb form used here for an intended or desired action): می‌خواهم بخوابم (“I want to sleep”). Unlike English, Persian does not normally use the infinitive after “want” in this pattern.

Written and careful spoken Persian use forms such as می‌خواهم. Ordinary conversation usually shortens them to می‌خوام. Learning both from the beginning prevents a common problem: recognizing the verb in a textbook but missing it in real speech.

How It Works

The present forms

The present stem of خواستن is خواه. The standard present is built with می‌ plus خواه plus a personal ending. A personal ending shows who the subject—the person or thing doing or experiencing the action—is.

Person	Standard Persian	Romanization	Meaning	Common spoken form
من	می‌خواهم	mikhāham	I want	می‌خوام (mikhām)
تو	می‌خواهی	mikhāhi	you want, singular informal	می‌خوای (mikhāy)
او	می‌خواهد	mikhāhad	he/she wants	می‌خواد (mikhād)
ما	می‌خواهیم	mikhāhim	we want	می‌خوایم (mikhāym)
شما	می‌خواهید	mikhāhid	you want, plural or polite	می‌خواین (mikhāyn)
آنها	می‌خواهند	mikhāhand	they want	می‌خوان (mikhān)

The spelling خواه preserves letters that are no longer pronounced separately in modern Persian. Do not pronounce the standard first-person form as three clear syllables based on every written letter. Treat می‌خواهم as a whole form and learn its sound with it.

Persian can omit subject pronouns because the verb ending usually identifies the person. Both من آب می‌خواهم and آب می‌خواهم mean “I want water.” Include من when contrast or emphasis matters: من چای می‌خواهم، نه قهوه (“I want tea, not coffee”).

Wanting a thing

The beginner pattern is:

(subject) + wanted thing + خواستن

Persian usually places the object (the person or thing affected by the verb) before the verb. An indefinite or nonspecific noun often appears without را:

• آب می‌خواهم. — I want water.
• یک اتاق می‌خواهیم. — We want a room.

A specific direct object commonly takes را (rā), the marker used for a definite or identified object:

• آن کتاب را می‌خواهم. — I want that book.
• همین را می‌خواهم. — I want this one / exactly this.

In conversation, را is normally pronounced رو (ro): اون کتاب رو می‌خوام (“I want that book”). The difference between specific and nonspecific objects belongs to the wider Persian object system, but this contrast is useful immediately.

Wanting to do something

When خواستن is followed by another action, the second verb normally goes in the present subjunctive. In plain terms, this is a finite verb—a verb marked for a person—not an infinitive:

(subject) + خواستن + subjunctive verb

• می‌خواهم بروم. — I want to go.
• می‌خواهی بخوابی؟ — Do you want to sleep?
• می‌خواهند غذا بخورند. — They want to eat.

For many verbs, the subjunctive has بـ plus the present stem and a personal ending: بروم (“that I go”), بخوری (“that you eat”), بخوانند (“that they read”). Some very common verbs have forms that must be learned separately, and negative subjunctives use نـ, normally without بـ: نروم (“that I not go”). At A1, it is enough to memorize useful combinations as complete phrases.

When the person doing both actions is the same, the endings normally agree:

• می‌خواهم بروم — I want to go.
• می‌خواهی بروی — You want to go.
• می‌خواهیم برویم — We want to go.

The subjects can also be different. Persian then states the second subject explicitly:

• می‌خواهم تو بیایی. — I want you to come.
• او می‌خواهد ما بمانیم. — He/She wants us to stay.

This differs sharply from English “I want you to come”: Persian does not place an object pronoun before an infinitive. It builds a second clause with its own subject and verb.

Negation

To negate خواستن, replace initial می‌ with نمی‌:

Affirmative	Negative	Meaning
می‌خواهم	نمی‌خواهم	I want / I do not want
می‌خواهی	نمی‌خواهی	you want / you do not want
می‌خواهد	نمی‌خواهد	he/she wants / does not want

With two verbs, negating خواستن means that the desire itself is negative:

• نمی‌خواهم بروم. — I do not want to go.

Compare that with a negative second action:

• می‌خواهم نروم. — I want not to go / I want to avoid going.

The first is much more common for a simple refusal. Spoken Persian contracts it too: نمی‌خوام برم.

Questions and polite address

Persian yes/no questions can keep statement word order and use rising intonation:

• چای می‌خواهی؟ — Do you want tea? (informal, one person)
• چای می‌خواهید؟ — Would you like tea? (polite or plural)

Question words remain in their natural place before the verb:

• چی می‌خواهی؟ — What do you want?
• کجا می‌خواهید بروید؟ — Where do you want to go?

English often uses “would like” to sound polite. Persian frequently achieves the same practical effect with polite شما forms, tone, and context. As a customer, یک چای می‌خواهم، لطفاً is understandable and appropriately polite: “I’d like a tea, please.”

Examples in Context

Persian	Romanization	English	Note
من آب می‌خواهم.	man āb mikhāham	I want water.	Standard form; the pronoun adds clarity or emphasis.
یک قهوه می‌خواهم، لطفاً.	yek qahve mikhāham, lotfan	I’d like a coffee, please.	A useful polite order.
چی می‌خواهی؟	chi mikhāhi?	What do you want?	Singular and informal.
آن کتاب را می‌خواهم.	ān ketāb rā mikhāham	I want that book.	را marks a specific object.
بچه‌ها بستنی می‌خواهند.	bachehā bastani mikhāhand	The children want ice cream.	Standard third-person plural.
می‌خواهم فارسی یاد بگیرم.	mikhāham fārsi yād begiram	I want to learn Persian.	The second verb is subjunctive.
می‌خواهی با ما بیایی؟	mikhāhi bā mā biyāyi?	Do you want to come with us?	Informal invitation.
کجا می‌خواهید بروید؟	kojā mikhāhid beravid?	Where do you want to go?	Polite or plural you.
نمی‌خواهم بروم.	nemikhāham beravam	I don’t want to go.	The desire is negated.
او می‌خواهد ما بمانیم.	u mikhāhad mā bemānim	He/She wants us to stay.	The second clause has a different subject.
می‌خوام برم خونه.	mikhām beram khune	I want to go home.	Everyday colloquial Persian.
شما چی می‌خواین؟	shomā chi mikhāyn?	What would you like?	Polite/plural spoken form.

Common Mistakes

Using an infinitive after خواستن

• Wrong: می‌خواهم رفتن.
• Right: می‌خواهم بروم.
• Why: English uses “to go,” but Persian normally uses a subjunctive verb marked for the person: بروم, “that I go.”

Making the two endings disagree

• Wrong: می‌خواهم بروی. when you mean “I want to go.”
• Right: می‌خواهم بروم.
• Why: If the same person wants and acts, both verbs refer to that person. می‌خواهم and بروم are both first-person singular. The mismatched sentence can only work in a larger structure where “you” is explicitly understood as the second subject.

Negating the wrong verb

• Wrong for a simple refusal: می‌خواهم نروم.
• Right: نمی‌خواهم بروم.
• Why: “I don’t want to go” negates want, not go. Negating the second verb gives the more marked meaning “I want not to go.”

Expecting written and spoken forms to sound identical

• Problem: Learning only می‌خواهم and then failing to recognize می‌خوام.
• Better: Learn the pair می‌خواهم / می‌خوام together.
• Why: The contraction is normal in conversation, not careless or rare. Use standard spelling in formal writing and expect contracted forms in speech, dialogue, and informal messages.

Adding را to every wanted thing

• Wrong in a general request: آب را می‌خواهم when no particular water has been identified.
• Right: آب می‌خواهم.
• Why: را usually marks a specific object. Use it in آن بطری آب را می‌خواهم (“I want that bottle of water”), but normally not when asking for water in general.

Usage Notes

The standard forms belong in formal writing, news, prepared speech, and careful conversation. The contracted forms are extremely frequent in everyday Iranian Persian. Contraction affects both خواستن and often the following verb or noun: می‌خواهم بروم خانه becomes می‌خوام برم خونه. Do not mix this informal spelling into a formal essay unless you are quoting dialogue.

تو and می‌خواهی address one person informally. شما with می‌خواهید addresses several people or one person politely. In ordinary speech, polite/plural می‌خواهید is commonly می‌خواین. A host may ask چای می‌خورید؟ (“Will you have tea?”) rather than literally using “want”; as in English, the most natural offer is not always a direct translation of “Do you want...?”

For a softer wish, Persian often uses دلم می‌خواهد (delam mikhāhad), literally “my heart wants,” meaning “I feel like...” or “I would like...”:

• دلم می‌خواهد سفر کنم. — I feel like travelling / I’d like to travel.

This is common and useful, but the plain می‌خواهم pattern should come first.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these forms at A1, but you will meet them often. The past form خواستم can mean “I wanted” or, in context, “I tried/intended”: خواستم بهت زنگ بزنم can introduce an intention, “I wanted to call you.” The imperfect می‌خواستم (“I wanted / I was wanting”) is also a conventional way to soften a request: می‌خواستم یک سؤال بپرسم means “I wanted to ask a question,” often functioning like polite English “I’d like to ask a question.”

The verb خواستن also supplies forms used in the literary or formal future construction: خواهم رفت (“I will go”), خواهد آمد (“he/she will come”). Here خواهم or خواهد is a future auxiliary—a helping verb that marks future time—not the ordinary lexical meaning “want.” Everyday spoken Persian usually expresses future meaning with present forms and context, so do not confuse می‌خواهم بروم (“I want to go”) with formal خواهم رفت (“I will go”).

In more complex sentences, خواستن can express someone’s will rather than a simple personal preference: هر طور می‌خواهی means “however you want” or “as you wish.” Tone matters: it may sound generous, neutral, or dismissive, just as “whatever you want” can in English.

Practice Tips

1. Learn matched pairs. Say each standard form followed by its spoken partner: می‌خواهم—می‌خوام, می‌خواهی—می‌خوای, and so on. Then listen for both versions.
2. Build two kinds of sentence. Make five noun sentences such as چای می‌خواهم, then five action sentences such as می‌خواهم بخوابم. This drills the crucial difference between a wanted thing and a wanted action.
3. Change both persons deliberately. Cycle through می‌خواهم بروم, می‌خواهی بروی, and می‌خواهیم برویم. After that, practise different subjects with می‌خواهم تو بیایی so the endings become meaningful rather than memorized noise.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Simple Present Tense — explains می‌, personal endings, and the basic Persian verb pattern that خواستن builds on.