Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Lesson 33 - To want in Korean / Not to want [-고 싶다]

To want in Korean / Not to want [-고 싶다]

In this course: 고 싶다 / 고 싶어 / 고 싶어요 / 고 싶습니다 / 원하다

To want to do something

In Korean, it is very rare to express the act of wanting something. Instead, we say that we want to do something. For example, in Korean, you don't say "I want an ice cream" but "I want to eat an ice cream". Likewise, we don't say "I want a bag" but "I want to buy a bag".

To indicate the desire to do something, it is enough to follow the following form:
[Stem]고 싶다

가다 → 가고 싶다 (= to want to go)
먹다 → 먹고 싶다 (= to want to eat)
보다 → 보고 싶다 (= to want to see)

The -고 싶다 form is actually a new verb that can be conjugated in all the forms and tenses, as we had seen in the previous lessons.

나는 김치를 먹고 싶어.
→ I want to eat kimchi.

저는 그 책을 읽고 싶었어요.
→ I wanted to read this book.

저는 한국에 가고 싶어요.
→ I want to go to South Korea.

보고 싶어.
→ I want to see you. (used to mean "I miss you.")

게임을 계속하고 싶었어.
→ I wanted to keep playing this game.

전 세계를 여행하고 싶습니다.
→ I want to travel around the world.

To say that you don't want to do something, just apply the Korean negation structures on the -고 싶다 form.

가다 → 안 가고 싶다 / 가고 싶지 않다 (= not to want to go)
먹다 → 안 먹고 싶다 / 먹고 싶지 않다 (= not to want to eat)
보다 → 안 보고 싶다 / 보고 싶지 않다 (= not to want to see)

야채를 먹고 싶지 않아요.
→ I do not want to eat vegetables.

새 옷을 안 사고 싶었어?
→ You did not want to buy new clothes?

청소를 안 하고 싶어.
→ I do not want to clean.