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User558 Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

What is the nuance between wanting something and wanting to have something?

I want a girlfriend.

I want to have a girlfriend.


One difference that I found out is I can't use an abstract noun with I want to have.


I want love

I want to have love (sounds weird ;-;)

  

Top answer

I disagree with your conclusion: I want to have freedom. I want to have less chaos in my life. I want to have less stress in my life.

— Englishmaven

  • I disagree with your conclusion: I want to have freedom.
  • I want to have less chaos in my life.
  • I want to have less stress in my life.
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3 Answers
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I disagree with your conclusion:

I want to have freedom.

I want to have less chaos in my life.

I want to have less stress in my life.

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user558I want a girlfriend.I want to have a girlfriend.

There is very little difference. Maybe the second one stresses the importance of your having one over the importance of the girlfriend herself. Your having a girlfriend makes it so you don't have to say no when someone asks you if you have a girlfriend.

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user558One difference that I found out is I can't use an abstract noun with I want to have.

I doubt there's an exact rule, but you probably can't want to have anything that you wouldn't have in your personal possession.

For example, I want world peace sounds OK, but not I want to have world peace.

And then there are these kinds of

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