# ...있까 싶어



## idialegre

In the following passage,

집도 없고 사람도 살지 않는 그런 별에 가로등과 불 켜는 사람이 굳이 필요가 있을까 싶어 어린 왕자는 이해가 되지 않았다. 


I don't understand the grammatical function of 싶어. Is Verb - 을까 싶다 the basic structure? I would be grateful for any explanations!


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## kenjoluma

싶다 = "to think, to want, to wish..."

"필요가 있다" there is necessity
"필요가 있을까" is there necessity?

"필요가 있을까 싶다"
He thinks, "is there necessity?"

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싶어 = 싶어서

싶어서 = 싶다. 그래서...
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I tried to make it as simple as possible. Hopefully someone below will expand on it.


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## Kross

있을까 싶다 is a combined word that comes from 있다 and 싶다. Altogether that functions as a new verb. I think you can consider it a counterpart of "(I) want to see (you)" in English. According to 국립국어원, The primary verb of 있을까 싶다. is 있다. 싶다 acting as a secondary verb adds a negative meaning to the primary verb. In your example, the speaker doesn't think that there should necessarily be a person to turn on and off street lights and lights on the unmanned planet. 

(source: https://twitter.com/urimal365/status/484877624779370496 )


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## idialegre

Thanks to both of you. The meaning of the passage was clear enough to me, but I had never seen 싶다 used outside of the pattern Verb -고 싶다 (or Verb -고 싶어 하다.) I had no idea it could be used in other constructions.

As long as I'm asking about 싶다 and 싶어 하다, I have one more question: according to at least one of my Korean instruction books, one can use 싶다 for 1st and 2nd person subjects, but for 3rd person it should always be 싶어 하다, unless, for example, one is writing a book and is therefore , as an author, omniscient about the feelings and thoughts of all the characters. But it seems to me that I have heard and read 싶다 with the 3rd person many times. Has this rule gone out of style? Or was it wrong in the first place?


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## Kross

idialegre said:


> But it seems to me that I have heard and read 싶다 with the 3rd person many times. Has this rule gone out of style? Or was it wrong in the first place?


 The rule seems to be still good at least to me. I cannot think of exceptions right now. Can you show some of examples you have seen 싶다 with the 3rd party from?


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## mille gateaux

Hi, 
In this context, 싶다 has nothing to do with a meaning of wanting.
"certain phrase + 싶어..." means "thinking certain phrase"


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## idialegre

Kross said:


> The rule seems to be still good at least to me. I cannot think of exceptions right now. Can you show some of examples you have seen 싶다 with the 3rd party from?



Actually, I had a Korean textbook that simply didn't bother with the distinction. Perhaps it was saved for a later chapter. Anyway, thank you for answering my question!


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## idialegre

mille gateaux said:


> Hi,
> In this context, 싶다 has nothing to do with a meaning of wanting.
> "certain phrase + 싶어..." means "thinking certain phrase"



Thank you, mille gateaux. I never knew that 싶다 had this other meaning.


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