می‌خواهم + Subjunctive

Wanting to Do Something

Level 3

می‌خواهم بروم means I want to go. می‌خواهم تو بیایی means I want you to come. The wanted action can have a different subject.

How It Works

The same person can want and act. In می‌خواهم کتاب بخوانم, first-singular می‌خواهم identifies the person who wants, and first-singular بخوانم identifies the intended reader. English shortens this to “I want to read a book.”

A different person can act. In می‌خواهم تو بیایی, the speaker wants and the listener is to come. بیایی has second-singular person. Do not force the complement to first singular just because می‌خواهم begins the sentence.

که can introduce the complement, especially where a fuller clause helps clarity: می‌خواهم که سارا بیاید. It is not obligatory in every short wanting construction.

A wanted action is not an assertion that the action already happens. The subjunctive form differs from an ordinary می‌ statement. خواستن followed directly by a noun, as in کتاب می‌خواهم, is a different simpler construction without this action clause.

Common everyday forms include می‌خوام and بخونم. Keep the complete example in its spoken register rather than shortening only an arbitrary word in formal prose.

Examples (4)

  1. می‌خواهم کتاب بخوانم.

    I want to read a book.

    The speaker both wants and would read.

  2. می‌خواهم تو بیایی.

    I want you to come.

    The complement’s second-singular ending identifies a different actor.

  3. می‌خواهم که سارا بیاید.

    I want Sara to come.

    که introduces a fuller complement with a named subject.

  4. می‌خوام کتاب بخونم.

    I want to read a book.

    Common everyday forms keep first-person meaning in both verbs.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

می‌خواهم + SubjunctiveLevel 3Wanting to Do Something

Learn This First

Let the wanting verb and the wanted-action clause identify their own subjects, including a different actor in the complement.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.