-고 싶어하다
Want to do
-고 싶어하다 is used to talk about what someone else wants to do. It is the third-person version of the pattern -고 싶다 ('I want to do').
Cum funcționează
In Korean, you express your own desires differently from how you describe others' desires.
1. For 'I' (First Person) or 'You' (Second Person in questions):
Use -고 싶다.
- 저는 한국에 가고 싶어요. (I want to go to Korea.)
- 피자 먹고 싶어요? (Do you want to eat pizza?)
2. For 'He/She/They' (Third Person):
Use -고 싶어하다. This pattern is essentially -고 싶다 combined with the suffix -아/어하다, which is used to describe an observed emotion or state in someone else.
How to use:
Attach -고 싶어하다 directly to the verb stem.
- 가다 (to go) → 가 + 고 싶어하다 → 가고 싶어하다
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹 + 고 싶어하다 → 먹고 싶어하다
- 보다 (to see) → 보 + 고 싶어하다 → 보고 싶어하다
In conversation, it's usually conjugated to the polite form: -고 싶어해요.
Example:
수진 씨는 영화를 보고 싶어해요. (Sujin wants to see a movie.)
아이들이 밖에서 놀고 싶어해요. (The children want to play outside.)
Where the 싶어 comes from:
The -어하다 in -고 싶어하다 is the suffix -아/어하다, which turns an adjective describing an inner feeling into a verb describing an observed one. 싶다 is an adjective, so -아/어하다 is exactly what lets you report someone else's wish rather than your own.
Exemple (4)
- 제 친구는 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요.
My friend wants to learn Korean.
Cuvânt cu cuvânt: My friend Korean language learn wants to.
- 민준 씨는 새 차를 사고 싶어해요.
Minjun wants to buy a new car.
Cuvânt cu cuvânt: Minjun new car buy wants to.
- 고양이가 밖으로 나가고 싶어해요.
The cat wants to go outside.
This pattern can also be used for animals when describing their apparent desires.
- 학생들이 여행을 가고 싶어했어요.
The students wanted to go on a trip.
This shows the past tense form, -고 싶어했어요.
Greșeli frecvente
Using -고 싶다 for a third-person subject.
제 동생은 한국에 가고 싶어요.제 동생은 한국에 가고 싶어해요.When talking about a third person's desire (like 'my brother'), you must use -고 싶어하다. The pattern -고 싶다 is reserved for the first person ('I want...') or for asking a second person a question ('Do you want...?').