How to Say "The child wants to see the duck" in Korean | -고 싶어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The child wants to see the duck" in Korean is "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요." (aineun orireul bogo sipeoyo.). It uses the -고 싶어요 grammar pattern (Want to (V-고 싶어요)). Level: A1.

Curious how Koreans express "The child wants to see the duck"? The answer is "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요.". Here you will see -고 싶어요 in action — a A1-level grammar point every learner needs.

Category: 감정

What does "The child wants to see the duck" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요." translates to "The child wants to see the duck." in English. "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요." is a gentle, storybook-style way of saying "the child wants to see the duck". The "-요" ending gives it a polite, everyday tone — exactly how you would speak to a friend's parent or a shopkeeper.

Pronunciation guide: aineun orireul bogo sipeoyo.

Grammar Point: Want to (V-고 싶어요)

The pattern -고 싶어요 attaches to a verb stem to express a desire or wish. It is one of the first grammar points Korean learners encounter. This sentence also uses -아/어요.

Remove the 다 from the dictionary form, then add -고 싶어요. For example: 보다 → 보고 싶어요 (want to see).

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 아이는 (aineun) • 오리를 (orireul) • 보고 (bogo) • 싶어요 (sipeoyo)

Count the particles in this sentence. Each one (은, 를, 에, 에서, etc.) is a signpost telling you exactly how that word relates to the verb.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

English might express "The child wants to see the duck" with emphasis or exclamation marks. Korean achieves the same emotional weight through verb endings and particles — quieter tools, but equally powerful.

Cultural Insight

한국어에는 '정(情)'이라는 번역 불가능한 단어가 있어요. 오랜 시간 함께하며 쌓이는 깊은 유대감을 뜻합니다.

Examples

아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요. — aineun orireul bogo sipeoyo. — The child wants to see the duck.

아이는 오리를 보고 싶었어요. — aineun orireul bogo sipeoteoyo. — The child wanted to see the duck.

아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요? — aineun orireul bogo sipeoyo? — Does the child wants to see the duck?

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 보다 싶어요 → Correct: 보고 싶어요. You must use the connective -고 between the verb stem and 싶어요. Dropping -고 is a common beginner mistake.

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Quiz

How do you say "The child wants to see the duck" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "아이는 오리를 보고 싶어요.". aineun orireul bogo sipeoyo.

Fill in the blank: 아이는 오리를 보고 ___

The correct ending is "싶어요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.