Which are correct?
a. しかは えさが ほしい です。
b. しかは えさを ほしがって います。
c. しかは えさを たべたい です。
a. しかは えさが ほしい です。
b. しかは えさを ほしがって います。
c. しかは えさを たべたい です。
d. しかは えさを たべたがって います。
The answers are b and d.
Last week, I talked about ほしい and then I said ほしい is not used for anybody other than わたし (myself). So today’s post is about how to say somebody else’s (visible) wish.
In the picture, the deer is clearly interested in the feed the boy is getting. So you can say:
しかは えさを ほしがって います。= The deer wants the feed.
When you are going to describe the psychological state where somebody other than me “clearly wants” something, you can say “xxxは yyyを ほしがっている/ほしがっています“
むすこは あの おもちゃを ほしがっています。
= My son wants that toy.
ははは ラーメンを ほしがっています。= My mum wants ramen.
If what somebody else wants is not a “thing” but an “action,” you can use the pattern of “[verb stem] + たがっている/たがっています“
しかは えさを たべたがって います。
= The deer wants to eat the feed.
むすこは ディズニーランドに いきたがって います。
= My son wants to go to Disneyland.
ははは あのえいがを みたがっています。= My mum wants to watch that movie.
The only thing is that you can only use these expressions when it is absolutely clear that the subject in question definitely want(s) the object or action. If you are only guessing, you should choose a different expression about which I may write one of these days.
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