# Muốn: want to in Vietnamese (A1)

> Muốn means "want" or "would like", and the next verb follows straight on, with no word for "to": Tôi muốn đi Đà Lạt. I want to go to Đà Lạt.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/muon-want/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**want to**

Pattern: `[person] + muốn + [verb] · muốn + [person] + [verb]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: muon

Variants:

- như muốn (seems about to)

*Muốn* means "want" or "would like", and the next verb follows straight on, with no word for "to": *Tôi muốn đi Đà Lạt.* I want to go to Đà Lạt.

With food and drink, Vietnamese usually says the verb as well, where English often leaves it out: *Em muốn uống nước dừa*, literally "I want to drink coconut water". When you point at a thing, *muốn* can take it directly: *Chị muốn cái nào?* Which one do you want?

To want someone else to do something, put that person after *muốn*: *Mẹ muốn em về sớm.* Mum wants me home early.

To ask, wrap it in *có … không*: *Anh có muốn đi cà phê không?* Do you want to go for a coffee? It's a friendly way to invite someone. A question word stays in its place: *Em muốn ăn gì?* "Don't want" is *không muốn*.

*Thích* is "like" in general; *muốn* is what you want now: *Em thích phở* (I like phở), *Em muốn ăn phở* (I feel like phở). To order in a café, *Cho em …* is more usual than *Em muốn …*.

You may also meet *như muốn*, "as if about to": *Trời như muốn mưa.* It looks like rain.

## A common mistake

✗ Tôi muốn để đi Hội An.

✓ Tôi muốn đi Hội An.

There's no word for "to" after *muốn*: the next verb follows straight on. *Để* means "in order to".

## Examples

- Tôi muốn đi Đà Lạt. — I want to go to Đà Lạt.
- Em muốn ăn gì? — What do you want to eat?
- Anh có muốn đi cà phê không? — Do you want to go for a coffee?
- Mẹ muốn em về sớm. — Mum wants me home early.
- Em muốn uống nước dừa. — I'd like a coconut water.

## Words in this pattern

- [muốn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/muon-want/#lx_muon): want

## Compare

- [Can I have / let me: Cho tôi / cho em + noun or verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cho-toi-let-me/): give me / let me
- [Verb + verb with no 'to': thích học, đi ăn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/verb-verb/): verb chains

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [Polite asking: xin + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/xin-please/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Be allowed to, get to: được + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-before-verb/)

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