The server is standing there, pen ready. You know the word for the dish. What you don't know is how to attach "I want" to it. There are two everyday ways to say want to in Korean, and they aren't interchangeable — one is a feeling, the other is a decision. This beginner-friendly guide sorts them out.
What's the difference between -고 싶다 and -(으)ㄹ래요?
-고 싶어요 describes a desire you carry around: I want to travel, I want to learn Korean. -(으)ㄹ래요 announces a choice you're making right now: I'll have the ramyeon. Same English word, two very different jobs.
| -고 싶어요 | -(으)ㄹ래요 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it expresses | A wish or feeling — "I want to" | A decision or intention — "I'll have," "I'm gonna" |
| When it happens | Any time — someday, lately, in general | This moment, this choice |
| As a question | Asks about the other person's wish | Offers, invites, or takes an order |
| About a third person | Switch to -고 싶어해요 | Not used — you and your listener only |
| Past tense | 가고 싶었어요 (I wanted to go) | No past form exists |
| Politeness ceiling | Works all the way up to 싶습니다 | Friendly-polite only, never to a boss |
How to say want to in Korean with -고 싶다
Take the dictionary form of a verb, chop off 다, and add 고 싶어요. That's the whole rule. No vowel harmony, no batchim check, no irregular verbs sneaking up on you — this is the friendliest ending in Korean.
| Verb | Meaning | Stem | Want-to form | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | to go | 가 | 가고 싶어요 | gago sipeoyo |
| 먹다 | to eat | 먹 | 먹고 싶어요 | meokgo sipeoyo |
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 보 | 보고 싶어요 | bogo sipeoyo |
| 배우다 | to learn | 배우 | 배우고 싶어요 | baeugo sipeoyo |
| 만들다 | to make | 만들 | 만들고 싶어요 | mandeulgo sipeoyo |
| 하다 | to do | 하 | 하고 싶어요 | hago sipeoyo |
Compare that to how Korean verbs normally conjugate, where the stem vowel decides everything. Here it decides nothing. 만들다 is a ㄹ-irregular verb that drops its ㄹ in half a dozen other endings, and it just sits there quietly in front of 고.
Hear -고 싶어요 in real sentences
Listen to 먹고 싶어요 again. That 고 comes out tense — closer to "meok-kko." A ㄱ batchim hardens the consonant behind it. One more thing: with -고 싶다 the object can take 이/가 instead of 을/를. 김치찌개가 먹고 싶어요 and 김치찌개를 먹고 싶어요 are both correct; the 이/가 version lands closer to a craving.
-(으)ㄹ래요: what you say when you're deciding right now
This one does check the batchim. If the stem ends in a vowel, add -ㄹ래요. If it ends in a consonant, add -을래요. And if it already ends in ㄹ, that ㄹ does double duty — just add 래요.
| Stem ends in | Add | Verb | Result | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A vowel | -ㄹ래요 | 가다 → 가 | 갈래요 | gallaeyo |
| A vowel | -ㄹ래요 | 마시다 → 마시 | 마실래요 | masillaeyo |
| A consonant | -을래요 | 먹다 → 먹 | 먹을래요 | meogeullaeyo |
| A consonant | -을래요 | 읽다 → 읽 | 읽을래요 | ilgeullaeyo |
| ㄹ already | -래요 | 만들다 → 만들 | 만들래요 | mandeullaeyo |
The magic is in the question mark. Statement: 집에 갈래요 (jibe gallaeyo) — I'm heading home. Question: 갈래요? — wanna go? That single ending covers half the invitations you'll ever make in Korean.
That third clip is doing something clever. 드시다 (deusida) is the respectful version of 먹다 and 마시다, so 드실래요? is -(으)ㄹ래요 wearing a tie. A cafe server will use it on you constantly. If honorific verb swaps are new, our guide to formal and informal Korean covers the whole system.
Careful with -(으)ㄹ래요 upward. That server got away with 드실래요? because the honorific 드시- carried the respect. Your boss is a different matter: 커피 마실래요? sounds like you forgot who signs your paycheck. Say 커피 드시겠어요? (keopi deusigesseoyo). And there's no formal -(으)ㄹ랩니다 — the ending stops at 요.
Common mistakes with want-to in Korean
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 친구가 한국에 가고 싶어요. | 친구가 한국에 가고 싶어해요. | In a plain statement, -고 싶다 reports a feeling only the speaker can feel. For someone else's wish, use -고 싶어하다. |
| 저는 김치찌개 먹고 싶어해요. | 저는 김치찌개 먹고 싶어요. | The same rule running backwards. Never point 싶어하다 at yourself — you have direct access to your own cravings. |
| 어제 영화 볼래요. | 어제 영화 보고 싶었어요. | -(으)ㄹ래요 is a decision made in the present. It has no past form, so anything that already happened needs 고 싶었어요. |
| 사장님, 커피 마실래요? | 사장님, 커피 드시겠어요? | Right grammar, wrong altitude. To a boss or an elder, swap -(으)ㄹ래요 for the honorific -(으)시겠어요? |
One more thing about 고 싶다, and it's my favorite. The everyday way to tell someone you miss them uses no verb for missing at all — it's 보고 싶어요, literally "I want to see you." The most emotional sentence in the language is this grammar point doing its job. More on that phrase.
Want-To in Korean — Quick Check
1. You're at a cafe with a friend and want to offer them a coffee. Which fits best?
2. Your friend has been talking about Korea for months. How do you report that?
3. Which stem takes -을래요 rather than -ㄹ래요?
Recap: 고 싶어요 attaches to any stem with no fuss and reports how you feel. -(으)ㄹ래요 checks the batchim, states what you have decided, and turns into an invitation the moment your voice rises. Keep 싶어하다 for other people, and keep -(으)ㄹ래요 away from your boss.
Now try it. Take 자다 (to sleep) and build both: 자고 싶어요, 잘래요. Feel the difference? The first is a complaint. The second is you standing up and leaving. That gap is why there are two ways to say want to in Korean. Then drill these verbs with native audio.
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