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Want To: -고 싶다 / -고 싶어하다

Quick Reference

-고 싶다: "want to" (first person, your own desires) -고 싶어하다: "wants to" (third person, others' desires based on observation) Formation: Verb stem + 고 싶다/싶어하다 Key Difference: Use -고 싶다 for yourself, -고 싶어하다 for others

Detailed Explanation

Korean has two different patterns for expressing desire, depending on whose desire you're talking about. This distinction is essential for natural Korean speech.

Formation Rules

-고 싶다

Extremely simple formation for all verbs:

  1. All action verbs: Stem + 고 싶다
  2. 가다 → 가고 싶다 (want to go)
  3. 먹다 → 먹고 싶다 (want to eat)
  4. 배우다 → 배우고 싶다 (want to learn)

  5. 만나다 → 만나고 싶다 (want to meet)

  6. Conjugates like 싶다:

  7. Present: 가고 싶어요 (polite), 가고 싶다 (plain)
  8. Past: 가고 싶었어요 (wanted to go)
  9. Future: 가고 싶을 거예요 (will want to go)

-고 싶어하다

Same formation with 하다 added:

  1. All action verbs: Stem + 고 싶어하다
  2. 가다 → 가고 싶어하다 (wants to go)

  3. 먹다 → 먹고 싶어하다 (wants to eat)

  4. Conjugates like 하다:

  5. Present: 가고 싶어해요 / 가고 싶어한다
  6. Past: 가고 싶어했어요 / 가고 싶어했다
  7. Future: 가고 싶어할 거예요

Key Differences: -고 싶다 vs -고 싶어하다

1. First Person (나/저) - Use -고 싶다

When expressing YOUR OWN desires:

  1. 저는 한국에 가고 싶어요. I want to go to Korea.

  2. 김치를 먹고 싶어요. I want to eat kimchi.

  3. 친구를 만나고 싶어요. I want to meet my friend.

2. Third Person (그/그녀/친구 etc.) - Use -고 싶어하다

When describing OTHERS' desires (that you've observed or know about):

  1. 그 사람은 한국에 가고 싶어해요. That person wants to go to Korea.

  2. 동생은 김치를 먹고 싶어해요. My younger sibling wants to eat kimchi.

  3. 친구는 저를 만나고 싶어해요. My friend wants to meet me.

3. Second Person Questions (너/당신)

When asking questions, use -고 싶다:

  1. 뭐 하고 싶어요? What do you want to do?

  2. 어디에 가고 싶어요? Where do you want to go?

  3. 무엇을 먹고 싶어요? What do you want to eat?

4. Why This Distinction?

In Korean, you can only directly express your own internal feelings with adjectives like 싶다. For others, you must use the verb form (싶어하다) because you're observing their behavior, not experiencing their feelings directly.

Think of it this way: - -고 싶다 = I feel the desire - -고 싶어하다 = They show/express the desire (I observe it)

Important Grammar Points

Negative Forms

Don't want to: -고 싶지 않다

  1. 가고 싶지 않아요. I don't want to go.

  2. 먹고 싶지 않아요. I don't want to eat.

Others don't want to: -고 싶어하지 않다

  1. 친구는 가고 싶어하지 않아요. My friend doesn't want to go.

Past Tense

Wanted to: -고 싶었다

  1. 어제는 집에 있고 싶었어요. Yesterday I wanted to stay home.

  2. 그때는 한국어를 배우고 싶었어요. At that time, I wanted to learn Korean.

Others wanted to: -고 싶어했다

  1. 그 사람은 의사가 되고 싶어했어요. That person wanted to become a doctor.

With Objects

Use object particles (을/를) before the verb:

  1. 커피를 마시고 싶어요. I want to drink coffee.

  2. 그 영화를 보고 싶어요. I want to see that movie.

Common Expressions

  1. 쉬고 싶어요. I want to rest.

  2. 자고 싶어요. I want to sleep.

  3. 물을 마시고 싶어요. I want to drink water.

  4. 집에 가고 싶어요. I want to go home.

Comparison Chart

Feature -고 싶다 -고 싶어하다
Person 1st person (I/we) 3rd person (he/she/they)
Questions ✓ Can use ✗ Rarely used
Type Adjective form Verb form
Meaning Internal desire Observed desire
Conjugation Like 싶다 Like 하다

Examples

Using -고 싶다 (First Person)

  1. 저는 한국 음식을 먹고 싶어요. I want to eat Korean food.

  2. 주말에 쉬고 싶어요. I want to rest on the weekend.

  3. 내년에 한국에 가고 싶어요. I want to go to Korea next year.

  4. 한국어를 잘하고 싶어요. I want to speak Korean well.

  5. 친구들을 만나고 싶어요. I want to meet my friends.

Using -고 싶어하다 (Third Person)

  1. 동생은 의사가 되고 싶어해요. My younger sibling wants to become a doctor.

  2. 그 사람은 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요. That person wants to learn Korean.

  3. 우리 부모님은 여행을 가고 싶어하세요. My parents want to go on a trip.

  4. 친구는 새 전화기를 사고 싶어해요. My friend wants to buy a new phone.

  5. 고양이가 밖에 나가고 싶어해요. The cat wants to go outside.

Practice

  1. Fill in the blank: 저는 커피를 마시___ 싶어요. (I want to drink)

  2. Choose the correct form: My friend wants to study. (친구는 공부하고...) a) 싶어요 b) 싶어해요

  3. Translate: I want to learn Korean. (한국어를 배우다)

  4. Make a question: (당신은) 무엇을 ___ 싶어요? (What do you want to do?)

  5. Translate: My younger sibling wants to go to the park. (동생, 공원에 가다)

  6. Negative form: I don't want to go. (가다)

  7. Past tense: Yesterday I wanted to sleep. (어제, 자다)

  8. Fix the error: 저는 영화를 보고 싶어해요.

  9. Translate: The students want to take a break. (학생들, 쉬다)

  10. Create a sentence asking what someone wants to eat for dinner (저녁, 먹다)

Show Answers 1. 저는 커피를 마시**고** 싶어요. *I want to drink coffee.* 2. **b) 친구는 공부하고 싶어해요.** *My friend wants to study.* (Explanation: Third person requires -고 싶어하다) 3. 저는 한국어를 배우고 싶어요. / 한국어를 배우고 싶어요. *I want to learn Korean.* 4. (당신은) 무엇을 **하고** 싶어요? *What do you want to do?* 5. 동생은 공원에 가고 싶어해요. *My younger sibling wants to go to the park.* 6. 가고 싶지 않아요. / 저는 가고 싶지 않아요. *I don't want to go.* 7. 어제는 자고 싶었어요. / 어제 자고 싶었어요. *Yesterday I wanted to sleep.* 8. **Corrected**: 저는 영화를 보고 싶어요. **Explanation**: First person (저는) should use -고 싶다, not -고 싶어하다. *I want to watch a movie.* 9. 학생들은 쉬고 싶어해요. *The students want to take a break.* (Note: Third person plural) 10. 저녁에 뭐 먹고 싶어요? / 저녁으로 무엇을 먹고 싶어요? *What do you want to eat for dinner?* Alternative with subject: (당신은) 저녁에 뭐 먹고 싶어요?