Vietnamese Grammar Bank
WISH & WANT IN VIETNAMESE
To express desire in Vietnamese we can use several sentence structures, to either say “want”, “wish” or “hope” something.
We guide you through the uses of muốn, ước and mong.
MUỐN || TO WANT TO
“Muốn” in Vietnamese means “To want something” or “To want to do something” in English. You can use “muốn” by following this pattern below:
PATTERN
Subject + muốn + noun / verb / adjective
| Tôi muốn tiền | I want money |
| Anh ấy muốn 10 ngôi nhà | He wants 10 houses |
| Chị ấy muốn uống nước | She wants to drink water |
MUỐN || DO NOT WANT TO
You can add “không” before “muốn” in order to express desire using in the negative.
PATTERN
Subject + không + muốn + noun / verb / adjective
| Tôi không muốn tiền | I don’t want money |
| Anh ấy không muốn 10 ngôi nhà | He doesn’t want 10 houses |
| Chị ấy không muốn uống nước | She doesn’t want to drink water |
ƯỚC || TO WISH
“Ước” in Vietnamese means “To wish” in English. You can use “ước” by following this pattern below:
PATTERN
Subject + ước + clause
| Tôi ước tôi có tiền | I wish I could have money |
| Anh ấy ước anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà | He wishes he could buy 10 houses |
| Chị ấy ước chị ấy có thể uống nước | She wishes she could drink water |
ƯỚC || TO NOT WISH
You can either add “không” before “ước” or make a negative clause in order to express a negative sentence
PATTERN #1
Subject + không ước + (affirmative) clause
PATTERN #2
Subject + ước + negative clause
| Tôi không ước tôi có tiền | I don’t wish I could have money |
| Anh ấy không ước anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà | He doesn’t wish he could buy 10 houses |
| Chị ấy không ước chị ấy có thể uống nước | She doesn’t wish she could drink water |
MONG || TO HOPE
“Mong” in Vietnamese means “To hope” in English. You can use “mong” by following this pattern below:
PATTERN
Subject + mong + clause
| Tôi mong tôi có tiền | I hope I have money |
| Anh ấy mong anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà | He hopes he can buy 10 houses |
| Chị ấy mong chị ấy có thể uống nước | She hopes she can drink water |
MONG || TO NOT HOPE
You can either add “không” before “mong” or make a negative clause in order to express a negative sentence
PATTERN #1
Subject + không mong + (affirmative) clause
PATTERN #2
Subject + mong + negative clause
| Tôi không mong tôi có tiền | I don’t hope I have money |
| Anh ấy không mong anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà | He doesn’t hope he can buy 10 houses |
| Chị ấy không mong chị ấy có thể uống nước | She doesn’t hope she can drink water |
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FAQs
How to express desire in Vietnamese?
There are three common ways to express desire in Vietnamese:
Muốn: means “To want something” or “To want to do something”
Tôi muốn tiền // I want money
Ước: means “To wish”
Tôi ước tôi có tiền // I wish I could have money
Mong: means “To hope”
Tôi mong tôi có tiền // I hope I have money
How to use Muốn in Vietnamese?
“Muốn” in Vietnamese means “To want something” or “To want to do something” in English. You can use “muốn” by following this pattern below:
Subject + muốn + noun / verb / adjective
Tôi muốn tiền. I want money
Anh ấy muốn 10 ngôi nhà. He wants 10 houses
How to use Ước in Vietnamese?
“Ước” in Vietnamese means “To wish” in English. You can use “ước” by following this pattern below:
Subject + ước + clause
Tôi ước tôi có tiền. I wish I could have money
Anh ấy ước anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà. He wishes he could buy 10 houses
How to use Mong in Vietnamese?
“Mong” in Vietnamese means “To hope” in English. You can use “mong” by following this pattern below:
Subject + mong + clause
Tôi mong tôi có tiền. I hope I have money
Anh ấy mong anh ấy có thể mua 10 ngôi nhà. He hopes he can buy 10 houses
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