To Want in Persian

Overview

The verb خواستن (khāstan, "to want") is one of the most frequently used verbs in Persian. At the A1 level, it lets you express desires, make requests, and is your gateway to using the subjunctive — since خواستن is always followed by the subjunctive form of the main verb. Learning this verb early gives you immediate expressive power.

In the present tense, خواستن conjugates as می‌خواهم (mikhāham, I want), می‌خواهی (mikhāhi, you want), etc. The colloquial contractions are essential to know: می‌خوام (mikhām), می‌خوای (mikhāy). These shortened forms are what you will hear in virtually every conversation.

When خواستن is followed by another verb, that verb takes the subjunctive form: می‌خواهم بروم (I want to go), not می‌خواهم رفتن (infinitive). This modal + subjunctive pattern is fundamental to Persian.

How It Works

Person	Formal	Colloquial
من	می‌خواهم mikhāham	می‌خوام mikhām
تو	می‌خواهی mikhāhi	می‌خوای mikhāy
او	می‌خواهد mikhāhad	می‌خواد mikhād
ما	می‌خواهیم mikhāhim	می‌خوایم mikhāyim
شما	می‌خواهید mikhāhid	می‌خواید mikhāyd
آن‌ها	می‌خواهند mikhāhand	می‌خوان mikhān

With subjunctive:

• می‌خواهم بروم (I want to go)
• می‌خواهی بخوری? (Do you want to eat?)
• نمی‌خواهم بخوابم (I don't want to sleep)

Examples in Context

Persian	English	Note
من آب می‌خواهم.	I want water.	Object (no subjunctive needed)
می‌خوام برم خونه.	I want to go home.	Colloquial + subjunctive
چی می‌خواهی؟	What do you want?	Question
نمی‌خواهم بروم.	I don't want to go.	Negative
می‌خواهید چای بخورید؟	Would you like to drink tea?	Polite offer
می‌خوام فارسی یاد بگیرم.	I want to learn Persian.	Colloquial
چه می‌خواهی بکنی؟	What do you want to do?	Information question
هر چه می‌خواهی بگو.	Say whatever you want.	General
نمی‌خوام بخوابم.	I don't want to sleep.	Colloquial negative
خواستم بگم...	I wanted to say...	Past tense (polite)

Common Mistakes

Using infinitive instead of subjunctive after خواستن

• Wrong: می‌خواهم رفتن (I want to-go)
• Right: می‌خواهم بروم (I want that-I-go)
• Why: خواستن requires the subjunctive form of the following verb, not the infinitive.

Forgetting colloquial contractions

• Wrong: Always saying می‌خواهم in casual speech
• Right: Use می‌خوام in conversation
• Why: The colloquial form is universal in spoken Persian. The full form sounds overly formal.

Mismatching persons between خواستن and the subjunctive

• Wrong: می‌خوام بری (I want you-go) when meaning "I want to go"
• Right: می‌خوام برم (I want I-go)
• Why: When the wanter and the goer are the same person, both verbs must match. For different subjects: می‌خوام (که) بری (I want you to go).

Practice Tips

1. Practice expressing wants throughout your day: می‌خوام قهوه بخورم (I want to drink coffee), می‌خوام برم بیرون (I want to go outside).
2. Practice polite offers: چای می‌خواهید? (Do you want tea?), چیزی می‌خواهید? (Do you want anything?).
3. Learn the past tense for polite softening: می‌خواستم بپرسم (I wanted to ask — more polite than می‌خوام بپرسم).

Related Concepts

• Simple Present Tense — the tense framework خواستن uses