Wanting -고 싶다 in Korean

희망 표현

languages.seo.contextNote

In Brief

To say that you want to do something, remove -다 from a Korean action verb and add -고 싶다: 가다 → 가고 싶어요 (“I want to go”). Use -고 싶어요 for your own wishes and usually in questions about the listener’s wishes. When reporting what another person wants, Korean normally uses -고 싶어하다: 민수는 가고 싶어해요 (“Minsu wants to go”).

Overview

-고 싶다 is the everyday Korean pattern for expressing a desire to perform an action. It corresponds closely to English “want to + verb”: 먹고 싶어요 means “I want to eat,” and 배우고 싶어요 means “I want to learn.” This is an A1 pattern because it lets you talk immediately about plans, food, travel, hobbies, and study goals.

The pattern attaches to an action verb—a word describing something done, such as 가다 “to go” or 만나다 “to meet.” Korean does not need a separate word meaning “I” in every sentence. In a suitable context, 가고 싶어요 naturally means “I want to go.” The subject is understood from the conversation.

One feature differs from English: Korean often marks a distinction between directly feeling a desire and observing someone else’s desire. A speaker can directly state their own feeling with -고 싶다, and can ask the listener about theirs. For a third person, -고 싶어하다 presents the desire as something the person shows or is understood to have.

How It Works

The beginner pattern

Take the dictionary form, remove its final -다, and attach -고 싶다.

Dictionary form	Verb stem	Add the pattern	Polite meaning
가다 (to go)	가-	가고 싶다	가고 싶어요 — want to go
먹다 (to eat)	먹-	먹고 싶다	먹고 싶어요 — want to eat
공부하다 (to study)	공부하-	공부하고 싶다	공부하고 싶어요 — want to study
만들다 (to make)	만들-	만들고 싶다	만들고 싶어요 — want to make
듣다 (to listen)	듣-	듣고 싶다	듣고 싶어요 — want to listen

The ending -고 does not change according to the final sound of the stem. This makes the pattern easier than many Korean endings: use -고 after both vowels and consonants. Even verbs that change their stem in some other forms usually keep the dictionary stem here: 듣다 → 듣고 싶어요, not 들고 싶어요.

The space is important in standard writing: write the main verb plus -고, then a space before 싶다—for example, 보고 싶어요 and 쉬고 싶어요.

Conjugate 싶다, not the first verb

The first verb remains in the stem + -고 form. The part 싶다 carries politeness and tense.

Style or time	Form with 가다	Meaning and use
Plain dictionary form	가고 싶다	to want to go; also plain-style statement
Polite present	가고 싶어요	I want to go
Formal polite present	가고 싶습니다	I want to go
Casual intimate present	가고 싶어	I want to go
Polite past	가고 싶었어요	I wanted to go
Formal polite past	가고 싶었습니다	I wanted to go
Polite future intention	가고 싶을 거예요	I will probably want to go / I think I’ll want to go

For most beginner conversations, -고 싶어요 is the safest form. It uses the polite -아/어요 speech style and works with strangers, coworkers, shop staff, and people you do not address casually.

Statements and questions

A statement and a question may have exactly the same written verb form. Intonation, punctuation, and question words show the difference.

한국에 가고 싶어요. — I want to go to Korea.
한국에 가고 싶어요? — Do you want to go to Korea?
뭐 하고 싶어요? — What do you want to do?
언제 출발하고 싶어요? — When do you want to leave?

Korean commonly omits pronouns when the context is clear. Adding 저는 (“as for me”) can make the subject explicit or create a contrast: 저는 집에 가고 싶어요 means “As for me, I want to go home.”

Negatives: “do not want to”

There are two common ways to negate this pattern.

Pattern	Example	Meaning	Nuance
안 + verb + -고 싶다	안 가고 싶어요.	I don’t want to go.	Very common in conversation
verb + -고 싶지 않다	가고 싶지 않아요.	I don’t want to go.	Neutral and explicit

Put 안 before the action verb: 안 먹고 싶어요, not 먹고 안 싶어요. With 하다 verbs, everyday Korean normally places 안 before 하다: 공부 안 하고 싶어요 (“I don’t want to study”). The longer 공부하고 싶지 않아요 is also natural.

Do not confuse “I do not want to go” with “I want not to go.” In ordinary English these often amount to the same thing, but Korean learners only need the established patterns 안 가고 싶어요 and 가고 싶지 않아요.

Talking about another person

For a third person—someone other than the speaker and listener—use -고 싶어하다 in ordinary statements.

Person	Natural pattern	Example
Speaker	-고 싶다	저는 쉬고 싶어요. — I want to rest.
Listener in a question	-고 싶다	쉬고 싶어요? — Do you want to rest?
Third person	-고 싶어하다	지수는 쉬고 싶어해요. — Jisu wants to rest.

Conjugate 싶어하다 for tense and politeness: 싶어해요 in the polite present and 싶어했어요 in the polite past. In real conversation, speakers can sometimes use -고 싶다 when quoting, empathizing with, or presenting another person’s inner words. For a reliable learner rule, however, choose -고 싶어하다 when you report another person’s desire from the outside.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
가고 싶어요.	I want to go.	The omitted subject is understood as “I.”
먹고 싶어요.	I want to eat.	Basic present desire
뭐 하고 싶어요?	What do you want to do?	Asking the listener
주말에는 푹 쉬고 싶어요.	I want to get plenty of rest on the weekend.	-에는 sets the weekend as the topic or time frame.
한국어를 더 잘하고 싶어요.	I want to become better at Korean.	A personal learning goal
오늘 저녁에 뭘 먹고 싶어요?	What do you want to eat this evening?	뭘 is the shortened form of 무엇을.
친구하고 영화를 보고 싶어요.	I want to watch a movie with a friend.	Everyday plan
지금은 아무것도 하고 싶지 않아요.	I don’t want to do anything right now.	Negative with -고 싶지 않다
너무 피곤해서 밖에 안 나가고 싶어요.	I’m so tired that I don’t want to go out.	Conversational negative with 안
어렸을 때 의사가 되고 싶었어요.	When I was young, I wanted to become a doctor.	Past desire
그는 가고 싶어해요.	He wants to go.	Required core third-person example
수진이는 새 자전거를 사고 싶어해요.	Sujin wants to buy a new bicycle.	Reported third-person desire
아이들이 밖에서 놀고 싶어했어요.	The children wanted to play outside.	Third person in the past
어디에서 만나고 싶으세요?	Where would you like to meet?	Honorific question to the listener
언젠가 제주도에서 살아 보고 싶어요.	Someday I’d like to try living on Jeju Island.	-아/어 보다 adds “try doing.”

Common Mistakes

Adding -고 싶다 to the full dictionary form

Wrong: 가다고 싶어요.
Right: 가고 싶어요.
Why: Remove the dictionary ending -다 first: 가다 → 가- → 가고 싶어요.

Conjugating the first verb

Wrong: 가요고 싶어요.
Right: 가고 싶어요.
Why: Attach -고 directly to the verb stem. Only 싶다 receives the final tense and politeness ending.

Using -고 싶다 as a direct translation of every English “want”

Wrong: 커피고 싶어요.
Right: 커피를 마시고 싶어요. — I want to drink coffee.
Also possible: 커피를 원해요. — I want coffee.
Why: -고 싶다 attaches to an action verb, not directly to a noun (a word for a person, thing, place, or idea). Supply an action such as 마시다 “to drink,” 먹다 “to eat,” or 사다 “to buy.”

Reporting another person with the first-person pattern

Less suitable as a neutral report: 민수는 집에 가고 싶어요.
Right: 민수는 집에 가고 싶어해요.
Why: A neutral statement about another person normally uses -고 싶어하다, because the speaker is reporting that person’s desire rather than directly experiencing it.

Putting 안 in the wrong place

Wrong: 가고 안 싶어요.
Right: 안 가고 싶어요.
Also right: 가고 싶지 않아요.
Why: Put short-form 안 before the action verb, or negate 싶다 with -지 않다.

Forgetting the space before 싶다

Nonstandard spacing: 먹고싶어요.
Standard: 먹고 싶어요.
Why: In careful standard writing, 싶다 is spaced from the preceding -고 form. Messages may omit the space, but learners should build the standard habit.

Usage Notes

Politeness and honorific questions

먹고 싶어요? is polite, but when speaking respectfully to someone whose actions deserve honorific marking, use -(으)시- in 싶다: 뭐 드시고 싶으세요? (“What would you like to eat?”). Here 드시다 is also the honorific verb for eating. In service situations, this is more appropriate than a plain 뭐 먹고 싶어요?.

A direct question about another person’s wishes can sound personal or forceful in some situations, just as “What do you want?” can in English. Tone and context matter. 어떤 걸 원하세요? or a choice such as 커피 드시고 싶으세요, 차 드시고 싶으세요? may fit better when offering options.

Wanting an action versus wanting a thing

Use -고 싶다 when the desired element is an action:

새 신발을 사고 싶어요. — I want to buy new shoes.
물을 마시고 싶어요. — I want to drink water.

For possession, 갖고 싶다 (“want to have”) is very common: 새 휴대폰을 갖고 싶어요. 원하다 means “to want/desire” and can take a noun, but it can sound more explicit, formal, or strong than simply naming the desired action. Beginners will often sound most natural by choosing a concrete verb: “want coffee” becomes 커피를 마시고 싶어요 if drinking it is what they mean.

보고 싶다 has two useful readings

Because 보다 means “to see/watch,” 보고 싶어요 can mean “I want to see/watch it.” When the object is a person, it commonly means “I miss you/them” in the literal sense of wanting to see that person: 친구가 보고 싶어요 (“I miss my friend”). Notice that the person missed is often marked by -이/가, not -을/를.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these forms at A1, but they show how -고 싶다 participates in larger Korean sentences.

Turning the desire into a description

The form -고 싶은 lets “want to…” describe a following noun. This is an attributive form—a verb-based expression placed before a noun to describe it.

먹고 싶은 음식 — food that I want to eat
가고 싶은 곳 — a place that I want to go to
하고 싶은 말 — something I want to say

This pattern produces the very common question 뭐 먹고 싶어요?, but also noun-focused expressions such as 먹고 싶은 게 있어요? (“Is there anything you want to eat?”). Here 게 is a contracted form related to 것이, roughly “the thing that.”

Combining it with other grammar

시간이 있으면 여행하고 싶어요. — If I have time, I want to travel.
한국에 가게 되면 한복을 입어 보고 싶어요. — If I end up going to Korea, I’d like to try wearing hanbok.
하고 싶을 때 하세요. — Do it when you want to.
정말 배우고 싶다면 매일 연습하세요. — If you really want to learn, practise every day.

The future-looking 싶을 거예요 deserves care. It can predict a future desire, but Korean often expresses a present wish about a future action simply with -고 싶어요: 내년에 한국에 가고 싶어요 naturally means “I want to go to Korea next year.” You do not need a future form merely because the trip is in the future.

Desire, intention, and plans are not identical

-고 싶다 states a wish; it does not guarantee a decision or arrangement. Compare:

Korean	Natural interpretation
주말에 여행하고 싶어요.	I want to travel this weekend.
주말에 여행할 거예요.	I’m going to travel this weekend.
주말에 여행하려고 해요.	I’m planning/intending to travel this weekend.

English speakers sometimes use “want to” loosely when stating a plan. In Korean, choose -고 싶다 for desire, and learn -(으)ㄹ 거예요 or -(으)려고 하다 later for firmer plans and intentions.

Practice Tips

Build a five-verb wish list. Pick useful verbs such as 가다, 먹다, 보다, 배우다, and 쉬다. Say one personal sentence with each: 배우고 싶어요, 쉬고 싶어요, and so on.
Practise the three-person contrast. Make one statement about yourself, one question to a partner, and one report about a named person: 저는 가고 싶어요 → 가고 싶어요? → 유나는 가고 싶어해요.
Change tense and polarity. Take one sentence through four forms: 먹고 싶어요, 안 먹고 싶어요, 먹고 싶지 않아요, 먹고 싶었어요. This keeps the unchanged 먹고 segment visible while you practise the ending.