Attach one wish to an action verb

If you already know 가다, 먹다, or 쉬다, you have the starting point for talking about what you would like to do. 가고 싶어요 means ‘I want to go,’ 먹고 싶어요 means ‘I want to eat,’ and 쉬고 싶어요 means ‘I want to rest.’ The same small ending works with many familiar actions.

This is a useful pattern when choosing lunch, making weekend plans, or answering what you would like to study. You can begin with one short wish and add the place, food, or time when you need it. The examples below show how the form stays the same even as the conversation becomes more specific.

Build wishes from familiar verbs

Start with the dictionary form and remove 다: 가다 → 가-, 먹다 → 먹-, 공부하다 → 공부하-. Then add 고 싶어요 to make 가고 싶어요, 먹고 싶어요, and 공부하고 싶어요. Unlike some -아/어 endings, this connection does not depend on whether the stem contains ㅏ or ㅓ.

The part before the verb supplies the detail. 공원에 가고 싶어요 says you want to go to a park; 비빔밥을 먹고 싶어요 says you want to eat bibimbap. With 보고 싶어요, the object matters especially: 영화를 보고 싶어요 is wanting to see a movie, while 친구가 보고 싶어요 can express missing a friend.

Ask, answer and decline

A question can keep the same ending: 어디에 가고 싶어요? asks where you want to go, and 무엇을 하고 싶어요? asks what you want to do. In conversation, 뭐 하고 싶어요? is a familiar shorter version. The question word and rising intonation make the purpose clear.

To say you do not want to go, 안 가고 싶어요 or 가고 싶지 않아요 are useful choices. 오늘은 쉬고 싶어요 offers a different kind of answer: you want to rest today. The 은 in 오늘은 gives today a little emphasis, which can be helpful if your preference is different from what you usually do.

Turn two wishes into one plan

The first speaker asks about the weekend, and the second answers with 공원에 가고 싶어요. 저도 가고 싶어요 then adds ‘I want to go too.’ 도 is the part that connects the two people’s wishes. The conversation naturally moves from the activity to 토요일은 어때요?, asking how Saturday sounds.

좋아요. 오전에 만나요 agrees and suggests meeting in the morning. If you needed a more exact time, 몇 시에 만날까요? could come next. There is no need to put every detail into the first sentence; a short wish gives the other person something to respond to.

Be careful with another person’s inner state

-고 싶어요 is comfortable for your own wishes and for directly asking someone about theirs. When describing a third person’s desire, -고 싶어해요 is often the useful form: 친구는 공원에 가고 싶어해요 means your friend wants to go to a park. If you are reporting what the friend actually said, 친구가 공원에 가고 싶다고 했어요 makes that source clear.

보고 싶어요 deserves a little attention because its natural English translation changes with context. A film, an exhibition, or a place can be something you want to see. Addressed to someone you miss, 보고 싶어요 can simply mean ‘I miss you.’ The words around it and the relationship do more work than a single dictionary translation.

Correct likely misunderstandings

커피를 싶어요 is incomplete because this construction needs an action. 커피를 마시고 싶어요 supplies 마시다, ‘to drink.’ In the same way, 여행하고 싶어요 uses 여행하다 rather than attaching 싶어요 directly to 여행. Thinking first of what you want to do helps you find the verb.

The dictionary ending 다 drops out before 고 싶어요, so 가고 싶어요 is the form to use, rather than 가다 고 싶어요. For a beginner, it helps to keep a few complete sentences ready: 오늘은 쉬고 싶어요, 한국어를 공부하고 싶어요, and 무엇을 먹고 싶어요? You can change one detail when the situation changes.

Try it in a familiar situation

A small listening check

References and useful next steps

• Korean–English Learners’ Dictionary — Check meanings, usage labels, conjugated examples and human recordings for the lesson vocabulary.

Reviewed September 4, 2026. Found a mistake? Send a correction.