Want alternatives in English are used in different situations. There are many things in daily life that you might want to eat, drink, or experience and the usual way to express these feelings is to say “I want”.
But are there other ways to say “I want”? of course, there are! And that’s exactly what we are going to learn in this lesson.
Is it bad or is it wrong to say “I want” all the time? No, it’s quite clear but it shows that you have a limited vocabulary. If you want to level up your English level, what you need to do is to learn synonyms and alternative ways to say simple sentences. Taking our online general English course is a great way to learn many synonyms and antonyms and improve your English level.
We are going to learn 10 different ways to say I want and these 10 ways are divided into 2 parts. In part 1 you will learn 5 formal alternatives and in part 2 you will learn 5 informal alternatives.
Part1
Want alternatives in English: Formal ways to say I want
1. Wish: of synonyms for want
Wish has many different meanings and using it instead of “want” can be very formal. One of the meanings of wish as of want alternatives in English is to say that you want something or you want to do something.
Imagine that you are at a restaurant and the food is not good. you seek the manager and tell him “I wish to make a complaint.”
Let’s look at another example:
- Passengers wishing to take the King’s cross train should board now!
In this sentence “wish” means “want”.
A very common way to use “wish” as a synonym for “want” is to say “As you wish”.
Imagine that you’re at a restaurant again and you tell the waiter:
- Can I have my steak rare?
- As you wish sir. (We prepare it the way you want)
Learn more: I think synonym
2. would like: of want alternatives in English
There are several ways to say I like in English. Would like is used to politely say that you want something. For example, imagine that you are at a restaurant, you look at the menu and you tell the waiter or waitress this sentence:
- I think I’d like the soup for my starter.
Here is another example of would like, which is of want alternatives in English:
- I’d like to travel to Venice.
*Pro tip: would like + infinitive
And another one:
- I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has subscribed to my channel.
3. Desire: of want alternatives in English
Desire means to want something strongly.
- The hotel had everything you could possibly desire.
- The president desires to meet the new prime minister.
4. Long: of different ways to say I want
Long as an adjective means tall or high. But, as a verb, it is of want alternatives in English which means that you have a strong desire or wish. There are 2 ways of using it as of synonyms for want :
1. to long for something
– She longed for a relaxing weekend. (She really wanted to have a relaxing weekend.)
– What I long for is success in my career! (I really have the desire to be successful).
2. To long to do something
– She longed to see him one more time! (She really wanted to see him for one last time.)
Learn more: I agree synonym
5. Fancy: Of synonyms for want
To fancy is of want alternatives in English that means to want something or to want to do something.
Look at this example:
It’s the end of the working hour and I turn to my colleague and say:
- Hey! Do you fancy a drink this evening? (Do you want to go and grab some drinks?)
- Do you fancy going out for a meal after work? (Do you want to go out for a meal?)
Learn more: What is another word for but ?
Part 2
Want alternatives in English: Informal ways to say I want:
1. Be in the mood for something (of other ways to say I want)
If you are in the mood for something, it means that you want to do it. For example:
- We could go out to eat if you are in the mood. (If you want we could go out and eat.)
- I’m not really in the mood for shopping. (I don’t really want to go shopping.)
2. Feel like something / doing something: of want alternatives in English
This phrase is also of want alternatives in English that means to have the desire to do something and to really want to do something.
- I feel like having Chinese food tonight.
*Pro tip: after “feel like” the verb need to be gerund (-ing).
- Do you feel like going out for a walk? (do you want to go out for a walk?)
3. Have a craving for something (of synonyms for want)
Have a craving for something is also of want alternatives in English. If you have a craving for something, you have a strong desire to do something or have it.
- I have a craving for chocolate right now. (I really want to have a piece of chocolate.)
- We had a craving for pizza, so we went out. (We really wanted to have pizza so we went to a pizzeria.)
Learn more: synonyms of stop
4. Be dying for something / to do something
You can guess the meaning of this one easily, right? It means you are so eager and really want it. As an example:
- I’m dying for a cup of coffee right now! (I’m so tired that I really want that cup of coffee.)
Or imagine that it’s the end of a long journey and I say:
- I’m dying to get home and relax.
5. I could go for something (of different ways to say I want)
This one means that you want to do something but not so strongly. It means that you are ok with it.
- I could go for a couple of drinks tonight. (I’m ok with it.)
Or imagine that it’s your lunch break at work and you say:
- Yeah, I could go for a cup of coffee right now. (Not that I really desire it but I’m ok with it.)
Learn more: alternatives to say
To sum up
We learned 10 different ways to say I want and sound more professional. Let’s review them all:
Formal synonyms for want
✅ Wish
✅ Would like
✅ Desire
✅ Long
✅ Fancy
Informal synonyms for want
✅ Be in the mood for something
✅ Feel like something / doing something
✅ Have a craving for something
✅ Be dying for something / to do something
✅ I could go for something
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this lesson. Remember to practice and have fun while learning!
