-고 싶어하다 - Want to (3rd person)

The construction -고 싶어하다 (go sipeohada) expresses third person desires - what other people want to do. It's the counterpart to -고 싶다 but used when talking about someone else's wishes.

Basic Function

-고 싶어하다 is used to describe other people's desires or wishes.

Pattern: [Verb stem]고 싶어하다

Meaning: (someone) wants to [verb], (someone) wishes to [verb]

Why Use -고 싶어하다?

Korean Requires Different Forms

In Korean, you typically use:

• -고 싶다 for first person (I, we)
• -고 싶어하다 for third person (he, she, they)

Second person (you) can use either, depending on context.

The Distinction

-고 싶다 describes internal, subjective feelings -고 싶어하다 describes observable external behavior

Formation

Pattern: [Verb Stem] + 고 싶어하다

Remove -다 from the action verb and add -고 싶어하다:

• 가다 → 가고 싶어하다 (wants to go)
• 먹다 → 먹고 싶어하다 (wants to eat)
• 보다 → 보고 싶어하다 (wants to see)
• 배우다 → 배우고 싶어하다 (wants to learn)

Conjugation

Since 싶어하다 is an action verb (하다 verb), it conjugates regularly:

Present tense:

• 가고 싶어해요 (wants to go)
• 먹고 싶어해요 (wants to eat)
• 보고 싶어해요 (wants to see)

Past tense:

• 가고 싶어했어요 (wanted to go)
• 먹고 싶어했어요 (wanted to eat)

Future tense:

• 가고 싶어할 거예요 (will want to go)
• 먹고 싶어할 거예요 (will want to eat)

Basic Usage: Third Person

Pattern: [Person]이/가 [Object]을/를 [Verb]고 싶어하다

Describing what others want:

• 친구가 한국에 가고 싶어해요. (My friend wants to go to Korea.)

• 동생이 피자를 먹고 싶어해요. (My younger sibling wants to eat pizza.)

• 엄마가 나를 보고 싶어해요. (Mom wants to see me. / Mom misses me.)

• 학생들이 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요. (The students want to learn Korean.)

First Person vs Third Person

First Person: -고 싶다

For speaker's own desires:

✓ 저는 가고 싶어요. (I want to go.)

✓ 우리는 먹고 싶어요. (We want to eat.)

Third Person: -고 싶어하다

For others' desires:

✓ 친구가 가고 싶어해요. (My friend wants to go.)

✓ 그들은 먹고 싶어해요. (They want to eat.)

Why the Difference?

Korean distinguishes between:

• Direct experience (what I feel) → -고 싶다
• Observed behavior (what I see others express) → -고 싶어하다

Second Person: Flexible

Can Use Either

For "you," both forms are possible:

Using -고 싶다 (more direct):

• 뭐 먹고 싶어요? (What do you want to eat?) - asking directly

Using -고 싶어하다 (observational):

• 뭐 먹고 싶어해요? (What do you want to eat?) - less common in questions

In questions, -고 싶어요 is more natural.

Present Tense

Pattern: [Subject]이/가 [Verb]고 싶어해요

Current desires of others:

• 아이가 놀고 싶어해요. (The child wants to play.)

• 고양이가 자고 싶어해요. (The cat wants to sleep.)

• 친구들이 영화를 보고 싶어해요. (My friends want to watch a movie.)

• 동생이 새 게임을 사고 싶어해요. (My sibling wants to buy a new game.)

Past Tense

Pattern: [Subject]이/가 [Verb]고 싶어했어요

Past desires:

• 친구가 가고 싶어했어요. (My friend wanted to go.)

• 동생이 그 장난감을 갖고 싶어했어요. (My sibling wanted to have that toy.)

• 학생들이 쉬고 싶어했어요. (The students wanted to rest.)

Common Verbs with -고 싶어하다

Movement

• 가고 싶어하다 - wants to go

  • 친구가 여행 가고 싶어해요.

• 오고 싶어하다 - wants to come

  • 형이 집에 오고 싶어해요.

Eating and Drinking

• 먹고 싶어하다 - wants to eat

  • 아이들이 피자를 먹고 싶어해요.

• 마시고 싶어하다 - wants to drink

  • 동생이 주스를 마시고 싶어해요.

Learning

• 배우고 싶어하다 - wants to learn

  • 친구가 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요.

• 공부하고 싶어하다 - wants to study

  • 동생이 열심히 공부하고 싶어해요.

Entertainment

• 보고 싶어하다 - wants to see/watch

  • 친구들이 그 영화를 보고 싶어해요.

• 놀고 싶어하다 - wants to play/hang out

  • 아이가 친구들과 놀고 싶어해요.

Observing Desires

Based on External Signs

-고 싶어하다 implies you observe or know about someone's desire through:

• What they say
• How they act
• What they express

Examples:

• 얼굴을 보니까 쉬고 싶어하는 것 같아요. (Looking at their face, they seem to want to rest.)

• 계속 말하는 걸 보니까 가고 싶어해요. (Seeing them keep talking about it, they want to go.)

Negative Forms

Don't Want to: -고 싶어하지 않다

Pattern: [Verb]고 싶어하지 않다

• 친구가 가고 싶어하지 않아요. (My friend doesn't want to go.)

• 동생이 먹고 싶어하지 않아요. (My sibling doesn't want to eat.)

• 학생들이 공부하고 싶어하지 않아요. (The students don't want to study.)

Alternative: 안 -고 싶어하다

• 친구가 안 가고 싶어해요. (My friend doesn't want to go.)

Questions About Others' Desires

Pattern: [Person]이/가 뭐/어디/누구 [Verb]고 싶어해요?

Asking about third person wants:

• 친구가 뭐 먹고 싶어해요? (What does your friend want to eat?)

• 동생이 어디 가고 싶어해요? (Where does your sibling want to go?)

• 학생들이 뭐 하고 싶어해요? (What do the students want to do?)

Becoming Something: -가/-이 되고 싶어하다

Pattern: [Person]이/가 [Noun]이/가 되고 싶어하다

For professions or states:

• 동생이 의사가 되고 싶어해요. (My sibling wants to become a doctor.)

• 친구가 가수가 되고 싶어해요. (My friend wants to become a singer.)

• 아이가 커서 선생님이 되고 싶어해요. (The child wants to become a teacher when they grow up.)

With Reasons

Pattern: [Reason] 때문에 [Verb]고 싶어하다

• 피곤해서 친구가 쉬고 싶어해요. (Because they're tired, my friend wants to rest.)

• 배가 고파서 동생이 먹고 싶어해요. (Because they're hungry, my sibling wants to eat.)

Common Contexts

Describing Children's Desires

Very common with children:

• 아이가 공원에 가고 싶어해요. (The child wants to go to the park.)

• 아이들이 아이스크림을 먹고 싶어해요. (The children want to eat ice cream.)

Talking About Friends/Family

• 친구가 여행 가고 싶어해요. (My friend wants to go on a trip.)

• 엄마가 나를 만나고 싶어해요. (Mom wants to meet me.)

Workplace/School Context

• 직원들이 휴가를 가고 싶어해요. (The employees want to go on vacation.)

• 학생들이 시험이 끝나기를 바라고 있어요. (The students wish the exam would end.)

Progressive Form: -고 싶어하고 있다

Emphasizing Ongoing Desire

Pattern: [Verb]고 싶어하고 있다

Less common but possible:

• 친구가 지금 가고 싶어하고 있어요. (My friend is wanting to go right now.)

Usually just -고 싶어해요 is sufficient.

Reported Desires

Pattern: [Person]이/가 [Verb]고 싶어한다고 해요

Reporting what someone said they want:

• 친구가 한국에 가고 싶어한다고 해요. (My friend says they want to go to Korea.)

• 동생이 새 게임을 사고 싶어한다고 했어요. (My sibling said they wanted to buy a new game.)

Comparison Table

Person	Form	Example
I/We (1st)	-고 싶다	저는 가고 싶어요
You (2nd)	Either	가고 싶어요?
He/She/They (3rd)	-고 싶어하다	친구가 가고 싶어해요

Common Mistakes

❌ Using -고 싶다 for Third Person

Wrong: 친구가 가고 싶어요. Right: 친구가 가고 싶어해요.

❌ Using -고 싶어하다 for First Person

Wrong: 저는 가고 싶어해요. Right: 저는 가고 싶어요.

Exception: Objective Self-Description

In very specific contexts (academic, clinical), you might use -고 싶어하다 for first person when being objective:

• 나는 그때 죽고 싶어했다. (At that time, I was wanting to die.) - clinical/literary

But this is rare and specialized.

With Modifiers

Pattern: [Verb]고 싶어하는 [Noun]

Describing people with desires:

• 가고 싶어하는 사람 (a person who wants to go)

• 배우고 싶어하는 학생 (a student who wants to learn)

• 만나고 싶어하는 친구 (a friend who wants to meet)

Common Patterns

Describing Others

• 친구가 가고 싶어해요. (Friend wants to go.)
• 동생이 먹고 싶어해요. (Sibling wants to eat.)
• 아이가 놀고 싶어해요. (Child wants to play.)

Past Desires

• 친구가 가고 싶어했어요. (Friend wanted to go.)
• 동생이 먹고 싶어했어요. (Sibling wanted to eat.)

Negative

• 친구가 안 가고 싶어해요. (Friend doesn't want to go.)
• 동생이 먹고 싶어하지 않아요. (Sibling doesn't want to eat.)

Questions

• 친구가 뭐 하고 싶어해요? (What does friend want to do?)
• 동생이 어디 가고 싶어해요? (Where does sibling want to go?)