-고 싶다
want to
Attaches to a verb stem to express desire. Straightforward to build — the catch is that Korean only lets you use it about yourself and the person you are talking to.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -고 to any action verb stem and conjugate 싶다 at the end: 한국에 가고 싶어요. No vowel rule, no consonant rule, and ㄹ stays put.
Korean treats inner states as private. You may report your own desires, and ask about the listener’s, but stating what a third person wants requires -고 싶어 하다: 동생은 가고 싶어 해요. English has no equivalent split, so this is a mistake that persists for a long time.
Two smaller points. Tense goes on 싶다, not on the main verb: 가고 싶었어요. And because 싶다 is an adjective, the object of the sentence can take either 을/를 or 이/가 — 물을 마시고 싶어요 and 물이 마시고 싶어요 are both correct, the second slightly more emphatic.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any action verb | -고 싶다 | 가다 → 가고 싶어요 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -고 싶다 | 만들다 → 만들고 싶어요 |
| Past | tense on 싶다 | 가고 싶었어요 |
| Third person | -고 싶어 하다 | 동생은 가고 싶어 해요 |
| Object particle | 을/를 or 이/가 | 물을 / 물이 마시고 싶어요 |
| Adjectives | use -아/어지고 싶다 | 예뻐지고 싶어요 |
In use
언젠가 한국에 가고 싶어요.
I want to go to Korea someday.
뭐 먹고 싶어요?
What do you want to eat?
어제는 아무것도 하고 싶지 않았어요.
I didn’t want to do anything yesterday.
한국 음식을 직접 만들고 싶어요.
I want to cook Korean food myself.
동생은 유학을 가고 싶어 해요.
My younger sibling wants to study abroad.
시원한 물이 마시고 싶어요.
I want to drink some cold water.
Compared with
-고 싶어 하다
The third-person version. Adding 하다 turns the adjective into a verb of behaviour, so it reports what someone appears to want rather than what they feel.
저는 가고 싶어요. / 친구는 가고 싶어 해요.
-(으)면 좋겠다
-고 싶다 wants to do something; -(으)면 좋겠다 wishes a situation were so, including things outside your control.
쉬고 싶어요. (I want to rest) / 내일 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요. (I hope it doesn’t rain)
원하다
원하다 takes a noun object and sounds formal or written. For everyday “I want to do X,” Korean uses -고 싶다 almost without exception.
쉬고 싶어요. (natural) / 휴식을 원합니다. (formal, written)
Watch out
동생은 한국에 가고 싶어요.
동생은 한국에 가고 싶어 해요.
-고 싶다 belongs to the speaker and the listener. For anyone else, Korean requires 싶어 하다.
저는 예쁘고 싶어요.
저는 예뻐지고 싶어요.
-고 싶다 attaches only to action verbs. To want a state, first turn the adjective into a change with -아/어지다.
어제 한국에 갔고 싶었어요.
어제 한국에 가고 싶었어요.
Tense goes on 싶다 at the end. The main verb stays in its plain stem form.
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