muốn

Want to

Level 1

Muốn means "to want." It is placed directly before a verb, noun, adjective, or clause to express a desire.

How It Works

Muốn is a highly common verb used to express desires. It attaches directly to verbs, nouns, adjectives, or entire clauses without any changes.

1. Expressing Desire:
Use it to say what you want, whether it is an immediate desire or a long-term goal. For example, Tôi muốn ăn (I want to eat), Tôi muốn trở thành bác sĩ (I want to become a doctor), or with an adjective to express a desired state, like Tôi muốn giàu (I want to be rich). You can also use it with a clause to express wanting someone else to do something, such as Tôi muốn bạn giúp tôi (I want you to help me). Note that this is different from To Like, which expresses a general preference, and To Need, which expresses a necessity.

2. Asking Questions:
To ask what someone wants, use a WH-question format like Bạn muốn gì? (What do you want?) using What. For yes/no questions, use the Yes-No Question structure: Bạn có muốn đi không? (Do you want to go?).

3. Implied Actions, Possession, and Negation:
When used directly with nouns like food or drinks (e.g., Tôi muốn cà phê), it naturally implies the action of consuming or having it without needing an explicit verb. However, to express the desire to possess a physical object, it is common to use muốn có (want to have), such as Tôi muốn có một chiếc xe hơi (I want to have a car). To negate it, simply place Not (general negation) before it to form không muốn (do not want).

4. Politeness:
While politeness in Vietnamese heavily relies on using the correct Pronouns Come From Kinship and adding respect particles like Respect Particle, muốn can still sound a bit direct in highly formal or delicate situations. In such contexts, speakers often substitute it with softer words like mong (to hope) or xin (to ask for).

5. "About to" and Exaggerations (Advanced Nuance):
When used with weather or inanimate objects, muốn acts like About To (e.g., Trời muốn mưa - It looks like it's about to rain). It is also very common with human states and feelings to express an extreme degree or exaggeration, such as mệt muốn xỉu (so tired I'm about to faint).

6. Conditions for Desires:
A highly common conditional structure is Muốn... thì... (If you want [A], then you must [B]). For example, Muốn giỏi thì phải học (If you want to be good, you must study).

Examples (5)

  1. Tôi muốn ăn phở.

    I want to eat pho.

    Word by Word: I want eat pho.

    The standard way to express a direct desire to do an action.

  2. Anh ấy muốn mua một chiếc xe mới.

    He wants to buy a new car.

    Word by Word: He want buy one classifier car new.

    Muốn attaches directly to the verb phrase 'mua một chiếc xe mới'.

  3. Mẹ muốn con dọn phòng ngay.

    Mom wants you to clean the room right now.

    Word by Word: Mother want child clean room right away.

    Muốn can be followed by a whole clause (subject + verb) to express a desire for someone else to do something.

  4. Bạn có muốn uống trà không?

    Do you want to drink tea?

    Word by Word: Friend have want drink tea no?

    To ask a yes/no question about someone's desire, use the 'có ... không?' structure around the verb phrase.

  5. Trời đen quá, muốn mưa rồi.

    The sky is so dark, it looks like it's about to rain.

    Word by Word: Sky black very, want rain already.

    When used with weather, inanimate objects, or extreme human states (like 'mệt muốn xỉu' - tired to the point of fainting), 'muốn' means 'about to' or 'on the verge of'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'muốn' to order food at a restaurant or cafe.

    Tôi muốn một phở bò.
    Cho tôi một phở bò.

    While 'tôi muốn...' literally means 'I want...', native speakers rarely use it to order food. It sounds overly literal and unnatural. Instead, use 'Cho tôi...' (Give me...) or 'Tôi lấy...' (I'll take...) to sound natural.

  • Using 'muốn' for a general preference.

    Tôi muốn uống trà, tôi không bao giờ uống cà phê.
    Tôi thích uống trà, tôi không bao giờ uống cà phê.

    'Tôi muốn uống trà' is a fine sentence, but it says you want tea now or as a choice. Use 'thích' (to like) for things you generally prefer as a habit or personality trait, and 'muốn' for something you want to do or achieve, whether it is an immediate desire or a long-term goal.

How It Connects

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muốnLevel 1Want to

Learn This First

To use 'muốn' (want to), a learner needs to understand basic Vietnamese sentence structure, the lack of verb conjugation, and how to use basic pronouns to identify who has the desire.

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