Expressing Wants (~고 싶다)

Expressing Your Desires with -고 싶다

One of the most useful grammar patterns in Korean is -고 싶다, which means "want to (do something)." It lets you express your desires, wishes, and hopes.

How to Form -고 싶다

The formation is straightforward: remove 다 from any verb to get the verb stem, then attach -고 싶다.

Important: Unlike many Korean conjugations, -고 싶다 does not change based on the final vowel or consonant of the verb stem. It always attaches as -고 싶다.

Conjugating for Speech Levels

Since 싶다 is an adjective, it conjugates like any descriptive verb:

Example Sentences

Third Person Wants: -고 싶어하다

In Korean, you cannot use -고 싶다 to describe what someone else wants. This is because 싶다 expresses an internal feeling, and in Korean grammar, you cannot directly state another person's internal state as if you know it.

Instead, use -고 싶어하다 for third person subjects.

Examples with -고 싶어하다

Exception: When quoting someone's words or when the context clearly shows you're reporting what they said, you can use -고 싶다 with third person: - 그는 "가고 싶어요"라고 했어요. (He said "I want to go.")

Negative Wants: -고 싶지 않다

To say you don't want to do something, add -지 않다 to 싶다:

Examples

Past Tense: Wanted To

To express what you wanted to do (past tense), conjugate 싶다 into past tense:

Common Mistakes

Practice

Try expressing these wants in Korean:

1. I want to drink water. → 물을 마시고 싶어요.
2. I don't want to study. → 공부하고 싶지 않아요.
3. My friend wants to learn Korean. → 친구가 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요.
4. I wanted to travel. → 여행하고 싶었어요.