-고 싶다 (want to)

What it means

-고 싶다 expresses a wish: "want to (do something)". 가고 싶어요 = I want to go.

How to make it

• Verb stem + -고 싶어요, with no consonant/vowel change: 가다 → 가고 싶어요, 먹다 → 먹고 싶어요
• Past "wanted to" → -고 싶었어요: 되다 → 되고 싶었어요
• Someone else wants → -고 싶어하다: 키우다 → 키우고 싶어해요 (the official spelling has a space, 싶어 해요; you will see both)

When to use it

• Your own wish: 한국에 여행 가고 싶어요. = I want to travel to Korea.
• Asking the listener: 뭐 먹고 싶어요? = What do you want to eat?
• A wish in the past: 어렸을 때 가수가 되고 싶었어요. = When I was young, I wanted to become a singer.
• Another person's wish: 동생이 강아지를 키우고 싶어해요. = My younger sibling wants to raise a puppy.

Compare

• -고 싶어요 vs -고 싶어해요: use -고 싶어요 for "I" (statements) and "you" (questions). For a third person (he, she, my sibling), use -고 싶어해요, because in Korean you describe someone else's wish as something they show, not something you feel.
• 가고 싶어요. = I want to go. vs 동생이 가고 싶어해요. = My sibling wants to go.

Common mistakes

• ❌ 물 싶어요 → ✅ 물을 마시고 싶어요 or 물이 필요해요 (-고 싶다 attaches to verbs, not nouns)
• ❌ 동생이 가고 싶어요 → ✅ 동생이 가고 싶어해요 (third person needs -고 싶어하다)
• ❌ 먹어고 싶어요 → ✅ 먹고 싶어요 (just stem + 고, no -어)