뭐 하고 싶어요?
mwo hago sipeoyo?
In Korean, "what do you want to do?" is expressed as 뭐 하고 싶어요? (mwo hago sipeoyo?)
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their current desires or preferences for an activity.
Which one should you use?
While 뭐 하고 싶어요? asks about desire (what you want), 뭐 할 거예요? asks about intention or future plans (what you will do). Additionally, 뭐를 하시려고요? can be used to inquire about someone's plans or intentions.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question more respectful and suitable for elders or superiors, you can add the honorific suffix '-으세요' to the verb, resulting in 뭐 하고 싶으세요?
How do you pronounce it?
mwo hago sipeoyo?
Did you know?
- The word 싶다 (sipda), which forms the 'want to' part of the phrase, is an adjective in Korean rather than a verb. This means it behaves grammatically like a describing word rather than an action.
- In Korea, if you ask 뭐 하고 싶어요? during a date or a meeting, the other person might answer 아무거나 ('anything'). This is often a social politeness to avoid seeming demanding, rather than a lack of preference.
- When texting friends, you might see 뭐 하고 싶어? written as 뭐 하구 싶어? or even 뭐 하구 시퍼? These spelling variations mimic a cute, 'aegyo' style of speech used to sound endearing.
Examples in context
- 이번 주말에 뭐 하고 싶어요?ibeon jumare mwo hago sipeoyo?What do you want to do this weekend?
- 지금 뭐 하고 싶어요?jigeum mwo hago sipeoyo?What do you want to do now?
- 오늘 저녁에 뭐 하고 싶어요?oneul jeonyeoge mwo hago sipeoyo?What do you want to do this evening?
Example conversation
Minjun and Minji are talking about their plans for the afternoon.
- 민준 Min-jun민지 씨, 지금 뭐 하고 싶어요?Minji ssi, jigeum mwo hago sipeoyo?Minji, what do you want to do now?
- 민지 Min-ji저는 영화를 보고 싶어요.jeoneun yeonghwareul bogo sipeoyo.I want to watch a movie.
- 민준 Min-jun좋아요, 같이 영화 봐요.joayo, gatchi yeonghwa bwayo.Good, let's watch a movie together.
- 민지 Min-ji네, 좋아요!ne, joayo!Yes, sounds good!
