보고 싶어요
The English phrase "I want to meet you" is translated into Korean as 보고 싶어요.
While 보고 싶어요 can be translated as "I want to meet you", it is most commonly used to express the sentiment "I miss you" in both romantic and platonic contexts.
Which one should you use?
If you want to emphasize the act of a planned meeting or an appointment rather than the feeling of missing someone, use 만나고 싶어요 instead of 보고 싶어요.
How does it change in a sentence?
Using the -습니다 ending in 보고 싶습니다 makes the phrase highly formal and polite.
Did you know?
- If you use the word 보고 in a formal business setting, it can mean 'to report' or 'to inform' rather than 'to see'.
- Because 보고 싶어요 is so commonly used for 'I miss you', saying it to a stranger might sound overly intimate or even flirtatious.
- While 만나고 싶어요 refers to the physical act of meeting, it can sound strangely clinical or like a business request if used in a romantic context where 보고 싶어요 is expected.
Examples in context
- 정말 만나고 싶어요.I really want to meet you.
- 항상 만나고 싶었어.I've always wanted to meet you.
- 더 자주 만나고 싶어.I want to meet you more often.
- 한번 만나뵙고 싶어요.I want to meet you once.
- 너무 보고 싶어요.neomu bogo sipeoyo.I want to see you so much.
- 친구를 정말 보고 싶어요.chin-gu-reul jeong-mal bogo sipeoyo.I really want to see my friend.
- 지금 바로 보고 싶어요.ji-geum ba-ro bogo sipeoyo.I want to see you right now.
Example conversation
Subin and Jihun are talking on the phone.
- 수빈 Su-bin지훈 씨, 정말 보고 싶어요.Jihun ssi, jeong-mal bogo sipeoyo.Jihun, I really want to see you.
- 지훈 Ji-hun저도 수빈 씨가 너무 보고 싶어요.Jeo-do Subin ssi-ga neomu bogo sipeoyo.I want to see you too, Subin.
- 수빈 Su-bin이번 주말에 만날까요?i-beon ju-mal-e man-nal-kka-yo?Shall we meet this weekend?
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 좋아요.ne, jo-a-yo.Yes, that sounds good.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 보고, CC BY-SA 4.0.
