Lesson 30: Wanting and intending (muốn, định)

To talk about the future, you differentiate between what you desire to do and what you plan to do.

Desire with "muốn"

Muốn expresses a general wish or want.

Tôi muốn uống cà phê.
"I want to drink coffee."

Em muốn mua cái áo này.
"I want to buy this shirt."

Planning with "định"

Định implies active intention or a schedule. It means "plan to" or "intend to."

Cuối tuần này tôi định về quê.
"This weekend I plan to return to (my) hometown."

Anh ấy định mua nhà mới.
"He intends to buy a new house."

Polite Wanting with "thích"

Often, Vietnamese speakers use thích (like) to express a preference, which functions as a soft request.

Bạn có thích đi xem phim không?
"Do you like (want) to go see a movie?"

Internal vs. External Plan

Muốn is a feeling inside you. Định is a decision you have made.

Hè này bạn định đi đâu?
"Where do you plan to go this summer?"

Examples

Chúng tôi không muốn làm phiền.
"We don't want to bother (you)."

Tôi định học tiếng Việt.
"I intend to study Vietnamese."

Note on nuance

You can muốn many things (like winning the lottery) without ever định to do anything about them. Reserve định for things you are actually going to do.