😃 Expressing Emotions Using -고 싶다 / -기 싫다 – Intermediate Level (TOPIK 3–4)

Expressing Emotions Using -고 싶다 and -기 싫다 | Intermediate Korean (TOPIK 3–4)

Rainy street in Seoul, expressing daily emotions in Korean

Have you ever wanted to say “I want to…” or “I don’t want to…” in Korean?
In this lesson, we’ll explore how to express desires and dislikes naturally using -고 싶다 and -기 싫다. We’ll look at forms, nuance, common mistakes, and real-life dialogues so you can sound more natural in daily conversations.

🎯 Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Use -고 싶다 to talk about what you want to do
Use -기 싫다 to express what you don’t want to do
Correctly talk about someone else’s desires using -고 싶어하다
Avoid common mistakes that many learners make
Express emotions more softly and politely in Korean

💡 1. What Do -고 싶다 and -기 싫다 Mean?

-고 싶다 is used when you want to do something.

예: 집에 가고 싶다.
→ I want to go home.

-기 싫다 is used when you don’t want to do something.

예: 공부하기 싫다.
→ I don’t want to study.

At the intermediate level, it’s important not only to know the meaning, but also to use these patterns to show your emotions politely and soften your tone in daily conversations.

📝 2. How to Form These Expressions

Step 1: Take the verb stem (remove 다).

Step 2: Add -고 싶다 for “want to” or -기 싫다 for “don’t want to.”

Polite present:
-고 싶어요 / -기 싫어요

Examples:

먹다 → 먹고 싶어요.
I want to eat.
공부하다 → 공부하기 싫어요.
I don’t want to study.
쉬다 → 쉬고 싶어요.
I want to rest.

Teacher’s Tip (very important for intermediate learners):
When you’re talking about someone else’s desire, use -고 싶어하다 instead of -고 싶다.

저는 쉬고 싶어요. → I want to rest.
그는 쉬고 싶어해요. → He wants to rest.
동생이 한국에 가고 싶어해요. → My younger sibling wants to go to Korea.

💬 3. Example Sentences to Show Emotions

Let’s make sentences you might actually use today:

오늘은 아무것도 하고 싶지 않아요.
I don’t want to do anything today.
집에 빨리 가고 싶어요.
I want to go home quickly.
저는 약 먹기 싫어요.
I don’t want to take medicine.
휴가 가고 싶지만 시간이 없어요.
I want to go on vacation, but I don’t have time.
친구를 만나고 싶은데, 비가 와서 나가기 싫어요.
I want to meet my friend, but because it’s raining, I don’t want to go out.

💡 Note: See how 싶다 shows desire and 싫다 shows dislike? You can combine them for richer expressions:

Example: 일하기 싫고 쉬고 싶어요.
→ I don’t want to work and I want to rest.

⚠️ 4. Common Mistakes Learners Make

❌ Mistake 1: Using -고 싶다 for other people’s feelings (too “inside” their mind)

친구는 한국에 가고 싶어요. ❓
Grammatically okay, but it sounds like you know their inner feeling 100%.

✅ More natural:
친구는 한국에 가고 싶어해요.
→ My friend wants to go to Korea.

❌ Mistake 2: Using 싶다 with adjectives

저는 예쁘고 싶어요. ❌

✅ Better:
예뻐지고 싶어요. → I want to become pretty.
건강해지고 싶어요. → I want to become healthy.

❌ Mistake 3: Confusing “don’t like” with “don’t want to do”

나는 숙제 싫어요. ❌

✅ More natural:
숙제를 하기 싫어요. → I don’t want to do homework.
or
숙제가 정말 싫어요. → I really hate homework. (strong dislike, general feeling)

❌ Mistake 4: Forgetting tense with feelings

어제는 놀고 싶다. ❌ (talking about yesterday)

✅ Correct:
어제는 놀고 싶었어요. → I wanted to hang out yesterday.

🗣 5. Practice Dialogue: Sharing Feelings

Scenario: You want to watch a movie but don’t want to study.

Teacher: “How would you say this in Korean? You want to watch a movie but don’t want to study.”

Student:
영화 보고 싶어요. 공부하기 싫어요.
I want to watch a movie. I don’t want to study.

Teacher: “Great! Now make it softer, as if talking to a close friend.”

Student:
영화 보고 싶은데, 공부는 좀 하기 싫어.
I want to watch a movie, but I kind of don’t want to study.

🧩 Quick Check:
Change this sentence: 책 읽고 싶어요. TV 보기 싫어요.
→ Replace 책 (book) with 여행 (trip) to say “I want to travel.”

✔ Possible answer:
여행 가고 싶어요. TV 보기 싫어요.

🌏 6. Emotional Nuances in Korean

In Korean culture, directly saying what you “don’t want to do” can sometimes sound strong or childish, depending on the situation. So native speakers often soften their sentences.

For example:

공부하기 싫어요. → I don’t want to study. (quite direct)
오늘은 좀 공부하기 싫어요.
→ I don’t really feel like studying today. (softer with 좀)
솔직히 일찍 일어나기 싫은데, 내일은 노력해 볼게요.
→ Honestly, I don’t want to wake up early, but I’ll try tomorrow.

Adding words like 좀, 솔직히, 그런데, 노력해 볼게요 can make your sentence sound more polite and mature in Korean conversations.

📝 7. Quick Practice Quiz

Choose the correct form: -고 싶다 / -기 싫다 / -고 싶어하다.

“I want to sleep early today.”
오늘은 일찍 자__.
“My younger sister doesn’t want to eat kimchi.”
여동생은 김치 먹__.
“My friend wants to learn Korean.”
친구는 한국어를 배우__.
“I didn’t want to go to work yesterday.”
어제 회사에 가__.

✅ Show Answers

오늘은 일찍 자고 싶어요.
여동생은 김치 먹기 싫어해요 / 김치 먹기 싫어해. (if it’s her general feeling)
친구는 한국어를 배우고 싶어해요.
어제 회사에 가고 싶지 않았어요.

❓ 8. FAQ: Subtle Questions Learners Ask

Q1. What’s the difference between -고 싶어요 and -ㄹ/을래요?
-고 싶어요 focuses on your feeling/desire.
-ㄹ/을래요 is more about your intention or decision (“I will / I’m going to”).

Q2. Can I use -고 싶다 in the past?
Yes. Use -고 싶었어요.
예: 어제는 집에 그냥 있고 싶었어요.
→ Yesterday I just wanted to stay at home.

Q3. Is -기 싫다 rude?
It depends on tone and situation. With polite endings and softening words, it’s okay:
오늘은 좀 나가기 싫어요. → sounds softer than
나가기 싫어요! (very direct).

📦 9. Final Thoughts

Mastering -고 싶다 and -기 싫다 helps you talk about your emotions in a natural, human way—what you want, what you don’t want, and how strong your feeling is. If you write even three sentences a day about what you want and don’t want to do, your Korean will become more personal and expressive.

I hope that while reading various posts on my blog, you’ll learn Korean and grow to love Korea. As a Korean, I sincerely wish for that. Please come back anytime to discover new expressions and cultural insights!

🔗 Related Posts

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Tags: Korean grammar, expressing emotions in Korean, Intermediate Korean, TOPIK 3-4, 한국어 문법, 감정 표현, Korean speaking practice, aprender coreano, gramática coreana