How to Say "The prince wants to rest" in Korean | -고 싶어요 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The prince wants to rest" in Korean is "왕자는 쉬고 싶어요." (wangjaneun swigo sipeoyo.). It uses the -고 싶어요 grammar pattern (Want to (V-고 싶어요)). Level: A1.

"왕자는 쉬고 싶어요." means "The prince wants to rest" in Korean. It features the -고 싶어요 pattern — the pattern -고 싶어요 attaches to a verb stem to express a desire or wish. Practice this phrase to build your Korean fluency.

What does "The prince wants to rest" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "왕자는 쉬고 싶어요." translates to "The prince wants to rest." in English. This line matches the English meaning, "The prince wants to rest", but it keeps the mood soft. The "-요" ending makes it gentle and kind.

Pronunciation guide: wangjaneun swigo 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 "왕자는 쉬고 싶어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 왕자는 (wangjaneun) • 쉬고 (swigo) • 싶어요 (sipeoyo)

Korean sentences always end with the verb. Get comfortable with putting the action word last.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

English depends on voice tone for warmth. Korean bakes warmth into the sentence, so "The prince wants to rest" sounds like a friendly whisper.

Cultural Insight

한국어는 감정을 드러낼 때도 부드러운 말투로 마음의 온기를 전해요.

Examples

왕자는 쉬고 싶어요. — wangjaneun swigo sipeoyo. — The prince wants to rest.

지금 왕자는 쉬고 싶어요. — jigeum wangjaneun swigo sipeoyo. — Right now, the prince wants to rest

정말 왕자는 쉬고 싶어요. — jeongmal wangjaneun swigo sipeoyo. — Really, the prince wants to rest

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.