Part 11 - Expressing Want

Part 11.1 - ~고 싶어요 / ~고 싶지 않아요 — Want / Don’t Want to Do Something

Basic Information

To express a desire or want to do something in Korean, we use the grammar pattern ~고 싶어요. This literally means "I want to (verb)." To express not wanting to do something, we use ~고 싶지 않아요.

This pattern is used with action verbs and helps you talk about your wishes, preferences, or intentions politely.

Grammar Rule

1. Take the verb stem.
2. Add ~고 싶어요 to say "want to do (verb)."
3. Add ~고 싶지 않아요 to say "do not want to do (verb)."

Structure:
Verb stem + ~고 싶어요 / ~고 싶지 않아요

Example Verbs

• 가다 (to go) → 가고 싶어요 / 가고 싶지 않아요
• 먹다 (to eat) → 먹고 싶어요 / 먹고 싶지 않아요
• 하다 (to do) → 하고 싶어요 / 하고 싶지 않아요
• 공부하다 (to study) → 공부하고 싶어요 / 공부하고 싶지 않아요

Example Sentences

Korean	English
저는 영화를 보고 싶어요.	I want to watch a movie.
그는 커피를 마시고 싶지 않아요.	He doesn’t want to drink coffee.
내일 친구를 만나고 싶어요.	I want to meet my friend tomorrow.
저는 운동하고 싶지 않아요.	I don’t want to exercise.
우리 같이 밥을 먹고 싶어요.	We want to eat together.

Important Notes

• The ending ~고 싶어요 is a polite informal form, suitable for daily conversations.
• To make the sentence more formal, you can use ~고 싶습니다.
• This structure is only used with action verbs, not with descriptive verbs or adjectives.
• To form questions, simply use rising intonation: 보고 싶어요? (Do you want to watch?).

Using in Questions

To ask about someone's wants or desires, use:
Verb stem + ~고 싶어요?
Example:
한국에 가고 싶어요?
(Do you want to go to Korea?)

Summary

To express what you want or don’t want to do, use:
Verb stem + ~고 싶어요 — I want to do something.
Verb stem + ~고 싶지 않아요 — I don’t want to do something.
This pattern is essential to express your preferences and intentions in Korean.

Practice Tip

Try making sentences about your own desires, for example:
- 여행하고 싶어요. (I want to travel.)
- 공부하고 싶지 않아요. (I don’t want to study.)
- 한국 음식을 먹고 싶어요? (Do you want to eat Korean food?)

End of Lesson

Now you can confidently express what you want and don’t want to do in Korean using ~고 싶어요 and ~고 싶지 않아요.
Keep practicing to get comfortable telling others your desires and feelings! 화이팅! ✨

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