How to Say "I Want" in Vietnamese

tôi muốn

[toj˧˧ muən˧˦]word by word

The English phrase "I want" is expressed in Vietnamese as tôi muốn.

You use this phrase to express a desire or a wish for something. You can follow muốn with a noun to express wanting a physical object, such as tôi muốn cà phê (I want coffee) or follow it directly with a verb to express wanting to perform an action.

What does it mean word for word?

In the phrase tôi muốn, tôi means "I" and muốn means "to want".

Which one should you use?

The word muốn is used to express a desire or intent. This is different from cần, which means "to need" a specific object or requirement.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

Tôi muốn is a formal way to say "I want". In many social contexts, it is more natural and polite to replace tôi with a kinship term like em (used by a younger person or a female when speaking to someone older or in a service context). Tao muốn is an informal way to say "I want".

Is it said differently in some regions?

Tui muốn is a variation used in southern dialects of Vietnam to mean "I want".

How does it change in a sentence?

When expressing an action, muốn is followed directly by a verb (muốn + verb) without needing an infinitive marker like "to" in English.

Did you know?

The word tôi used to mean 'slave' or 'servant'. It evolved into a humble way to refer to oneself, a common linguistic pattern across Southeast Asia.

Examples in context

Tôi muốn ăn kem.
I want to eat ice cream.
This sentence shows how to use tôi muốn to express a desire to eat.
Tatoeba #13896380 by leucammieuvu, translation #1370839 by TuckingFypo
Tôi muốn gặp bạn.
I want to meet them.
This sentence uses tôi muốn to express a desire to meet someone.
Tatoeba #8964479 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3912228 by CH
Tôi muốn gội đầu.
I want to wash my hair.
This sentence uses tôi muốn to express a desire to perform a grooming action.
Tatoeba #8997690 by dotheduyet1999, translation #656800 by janmato
Tôi muốn món ăn này, xin cám ơn.
I want this dish, please. Thank you.
163 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Chi and Minh are deciding what to do on a weekend afternoon.

Chi

Tôi muốn đi xem phim.
I want to go see a movie.
Minh

Anh cũng muốn đi xem phim.
I also want to go see a movie.
Chi

Vậy chúng ta đi nhé?
So shall we go?
Minh

Được, đi thôi!
Okay, let's go!

Sources

IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (tôi, muốn) and can differ in connected speech.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries muốn, tôi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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How to Say “I Want” in Vietnamese