Expressing desire ~고 싶다, continuous actions ~고 있다, and continuous states ~어/아 있다

In English, verbs such as “want” and “wish” are used to express wishes and desires, as in “I want to sleep” or “I wish to buy it.” In Korean, ~고 싶다 is used to express the first person’s desires or wishes. This phrase consists of the connector ~고 and the auxiliary adjective 싶다. Consider the following examples:

한국어를 배우고 싶어요.

(I) want to learn Korean.

액션 영화를 보고 싶어요.

(I) want to see an action movie.

한국 음식을 먹고 싶어요.

(I) want to eat Korean food.

새 컴퓨터를 사고 싶어요.

(I) want to buy a new computer.

선생님을 만나고 싶어요.

(I) wish to meet the teacher.