-고 싶다: Express

This pattern is super simple. It attaches to the end of a verb stem. It transforms a simple action like 'eat' into 'want to eat.' In English, we use 'want to' before the verb. In Korean, we stick it right on the back. It is like a backpack for your verb! It stays the same regardless of whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or a consonant. This makes it much easier than many other Korean rules. You do not have to worry about tricky batchim rules here. Just find the stem and add the magic words.

1. 1Find your base verb. Let's take 가다 (to go).
2. 2Drop the 다 at the end. Now you have the stem: 가.
3. 3Add -고 싶다 to the stem. Now you have 가고 싶다.
4. 4Conjugate the 싶다 part for politeness.
5. 5For polite spoken Korean, use 가고 싶어요.
6. 6For formal situations, use 가고 싶습니다.
7. 7For close friends, just use 가고 싶어.
8. 8It works the same for verbs with consonants. Take 먹다 (to eat). Drop 다 to get 먹. Add -고 싶다 to get 먹고 싶다. Conjugate it to 먹고 싶어요. It is as steady as a rock. Even irregular verbs follow this simple rule without changing their stems.

Use this when you are talking about yourself. It is perfect for sharing your feelings. Imagine you are at a restaurant. You look at the menu and say, 비빔밥을 먹고 싶어요 (I want to eat bibimbap). This is a real-world scenario you will face often.

You can also use it to ask someone else about their desires. If you are with a friend, you can ask, 뭐 하고 싶어요? (What do you want to do?). It is a great way to start a conversation. Use it when planning a trip: 제주도에 가고 싶어요 (I want to go to Jeju Island). Use it when you are tired: 집에서 쉬고 싶어요 (I want to rest at home). It is the ultimate expression of your personal bucket list.

Here is the tricky part. Do not use -고 싶다 for other people in a statement. If you say 'My friend wants to eat,' you cannot use this. You need a different ending for that, which is -고 싶어 하다. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green for 'I' and 'You' (in questions), but Red for 'He,' 'She,' or 'They.'

Also, do not use it with adjectives like 'pretty' or 'tall.' You cannot say 'I want to be tall' using just this pattern alone. In Korean, adjectives are 'descriptive verbs,' and they do not play well with -고 싶다 directly. You would need to change the adjective into a verb first, like 'to become tall.'

A classic mistake is using it for your brother or sister. 제 동생은 자고 싶어요 sounds very strange to Koreans. It is like you are reading their mind! Unless you are a psychic, use -고 싶어 해요 for them.

Another mistake is trying to use it with nouns. You cannot say 'I want coffee' using this. In English, 'want' works for both 'want to do' and 'want a thing.' In Korean, they are different. For a noun, you use 원하다 or 좋아하다, but usually, you just say 'I want to drink coffee' (커피를 마시고 싶어요). Adding the verb makes it sound much more natural.

You might know -ㄹ래요. That is more about intention or making a choice right now. -고 싶다 is more about the feeling of wanting. It is the difference between 'I will have a coffee' and 'I really want a coffee.'

Think of -고 싶다 as the heart (feeling) and -ㄹ래요 as the hand (action/choice). If you are at a cafe and the waiter is waiting, use -ㄹ래요. If you are just dreaming about coffee while sitting in class, use -고 싶다.