How to Say "The merchant wants to see the gardener" in Korean | -고 싶어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The merchant wants to see the gardener" in Korean is "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요." (sangineun jeongwonsareul bogo sipeoyo.). It uses the -고 싶어요 grammar pattern (Want to (V-고 싶어요)). Level: A1.

The Korean sentence "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요." is a beautiful way to say "The merchant wants to see the gardener". It uses Want to (V-고 싶어요) — a must-know pattern at the A1 level.

Category: 감정

What does "The merchant wants to see the gardener" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요." translates to "The merchant wants to see the gardener." in English. Korean expresses "the merchant wants to see the gardener" as "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요.". The sentence structure may feel backwards compared to English, but once you get used to verb-final order, Korean starts to feel surprisingly logical.

Pronunciation guide: sangineun jeongwonsareul 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 "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 상인은 (sangineun) • 정원사를 (jeongwonsareul) • 보고 (bogo) • 싶어요 (sipeoyo)

Korean uses postpositions (after the noun) instead of prepositions (before the noun). 'In the house' becomes '집에서' — house + at/in.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

The Korean version flows naturally because it follows the golden rule of Korean word order: time/place first, then subject, then object, and finally the verb.

Cultural Insight

한국어에서 친구 사이의 대화는 반말(casual speech)을 사용해요. 처음에는 존댓말로 시작하다가, 친해지면서 '우리 말 놓자'(반말하자)고 제안합니다.

Examples

상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요. — sangineun jeongwonsareul bogo sipeoyo. — The merchant wants to see the gardener.

상인은 정원사를 보고 싶었어요. — sangineun jeongwonsareul bogo sipeoteoyo. — The merchant wanted to see the gardener.

상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요? — sangineun jeongwonsareul bogo sipeoyo? — Does the merchant wants to see the gardener?

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 merchant wants to see the gardener" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "상인은 정원사를 보고 싶어요.". sangineun jeongwonsareul bogo sipeoyo.

Fill in the blank: 상인은 정원사를 보고 ___

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