-고 싶다 / -고 싶어하다
Wanting Expressions
'-고 싶다' means 'I want to...' and is used for yourself. '-고 싶어하다' means 'He/She wants to...' and is used for other people.
How It Works
In Korean, the way you express 'wanting' to do something changes depending on who you are talking about. This distinction is crucial for sounding natural.
1. -고 싶다 (For 1st & 2nd Person)
This pattern is used when the subject is the speaker ('I' or 'we') or when asking a question to the listener ('you'). It attaches directly to verb stems.
- 1st Person (I, we): You use this to state your own desires directly. Since you know your own feelings, you use the descriptive form '싶다'.
- 가다 (to go) + -고 싶다 → 가고 싶다 (I want to go)
- 먹다 (to eat) + -고 싶다 → 먹고 싶다 (I want to eat) - 2nd Person (You, in questions): You can use it to ask someone directly about their desires.
- 뭐 하고 싶어요? (What do you want to do?)
2. -고 싶어하다 (For 3rd Person)
This pattern is used when the subject is a third person ('he', 'she', 'they', a name, etc.). You use this form because you are observing and describing someone else's desire, rather than stating it as a direct internal feeling. It's formed by adding '-어하다' to '싶다', turning the feeling adjective into an action verb.
- 3rd Person (He, she, they, etc.):
- 제 친구는 한국에 가고 싶어해요. (My friend wants to go to Korea.)
- 아이가 아이스크림을 먹고 싶어해요. (The child wants to eat ice cream.)
This '-어하다' attachment is a common way to turn feeling adjectives (like 좋다, 슬프다, 그립다) into verbs that describe an outward expression of that feeling (좋아하다, 슬퍼하다, 그리워하다).
Examples (5)
- 저는 한국에 가고 싶어요.
I want to go to Korea.
Word by Word: I Korea-to go want to.
The subject is '저' (I), so '-고 싶다' is used.
- 제 동생은 한국에 가고 싶어해요.
My younger sibling wants to go to Korea.
Word by Word: My younger sibling Korea-to go wants to.
The subject is '제 동생' (my younger sibling), a third person, so '-고 싶어하다' is used.
- 피자 먹고 싶어요?
Do you want to eat pizza?
Word by Word: Pizza eat want to?
This is a question directed at the listener (you), so '-고 싶다' is correct.
- 아이들이 밖에서 놀고 싶어해요.
The children want to play outside.
Word by Word: Children outside-at play want to.
The subject '아이들' (children) is a third person group, requiring '-고 싶어하다'.
- 저는 영화를 보고 싶은데, 오빠는 게임을 하고 싶어해요.
I want to watch a movie, but my older brother wants to play a game.
Word by Word: I movie watch want to, but older brother game do want to.
This sentence directly contrasts the usage. '저는... 보고 싶다' for the first person, and '오빠는... 하고 싶어하다' for the third person.
Common Mistakes
Using '-고 싶다' for a third person's desire.
Not Quite수진 씨는 집에 가고 싶어요.Better수진 씨는 집에 가고 싶어해요.'-고 싶다' expresses a person's internal feeling, which you can only know for sure about yourself. When describing someone else's desire, you are observing their expressed wish, so you must use the verb form '-고 싶어하다'.
Learn This First
This comparison helps you understand the differences between -고 싶다 and -고 싶어하다. Study each pattern individually first.
Related Patterns
- -고 싶다Want to
This is the base pattern for expressing the first person's (I/we) desire or asking about the second person's (you) desire.
- -았/었으면 좋겠다I Wish, I Hope
A related pattern for expressing wishes ('I wish/hope...'). It's often stronger and more hypothetical than '-고 싶다'. For example, '한국에 가고 싶어요' (I want to go to Korea) vs. '한국에 갔으면 좋겠어요' (I wish I could go to Korea).
- 이/가 / 은/는Subject vs. Topic Marker
Understanding subject and topic markers is crucial for correctly forming sentences with these patterns, as the choice between '-고 싶다' and '-고 싶어하다' depends entirely on the subject of the sentence.
- -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다Seems Like, Looks Like
Conceptually related as both are used to describe an observation about someone else. While '-고 싶어하다' describes an observed desire, '-ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다' is a broader pattern for saying 'it seems like...' based on evidence (e.g., '그는 피곤한 것 같아요' - He seems tired).