Structure
わたしは [verb stem] たい です。
[Verb stem] is the beginning of the ます form verb without ます
This structure should only be used for what “I” want to do, rather than what anybody else wants to do. Therefore, the subject/topic わたしは is often omitted.
Examples
- にほんに いきたい です。
I want to go to Japan. - しんかんせんに のりたい です。
I want to board a shinkansen bullet train. - にほんごの せんせいに なりたい です。
I want to be a Japanese teacher. - にほんごが じょうずに なりたい です。
I want to be good at Japanese. - この ページを コピーしたいです。
I want to photocopy this page. - こんな ぶんしょうが かきたい です。
I want to (be able) to write such a passage. - すしを たべたい です。
I want to eat sushi. (Emphasis is on “to eat.”) - すしが たべたい です。
I want to eat sushi. (Emphasis is on “sushi.”) - すもうを みたい です。
I want to watch sumo. (Emphasis is on “to watch.”) - すもうが みたい です。
I want to watch sumo. (Emphasis is on “sumo.”) - さけを のみたかった です。
I wanted to drink sake (Emphasis is on “to drink.”) - さけが のみたかった です。
I wanted to drink sake (Emphasis is on “sake.”) - がっこうに いきたくない です。
I don’t want to go to school. - ワインを のみたくない です。
I don’t want to drink wine. (Emphasis is on “to drink.”) - ワインが のみたくない です。
I don’t want to drink wine. (Emphasis is on “wine.”) - しゅくだいを したくなかったです。
I didn’t want to do my homework. (Emphasis is on “to do.”) - しゅくだいが したくなかったです。
I didn’t want to do my homework. (Emphasis is on “my homework.”) - にほんで さしみなどが たべたいです。
I want to eat sashimi, etc., in Japan.
Note
- In order to emphasize what you want to do, you can swap the particle を with が as shown in the above examples 6, 8, 10, 13 and 15.
- To make it into past, you change たい into たかった as shown in the examples 9 and 10.
- To make it into negative non-past, you change たい into たくない as shown in the examples11, 12 and 13.
- To make it into negative past, you change たい into たくなかった as shown in the examples 14 and 15.
When you want to talk about what somebody else wants to do
Sometimes, you need to express somebody else’s feeling even though you can’t really feel it yourself. ～がります is a convenient expression for that and it takes the form of:
- [person]は [いadjective stem] がります
- [person]は [なadjective] がります
[いadjective stem] is the beginning of an いadjective (the part without い).
Meanings
- ～がります is used when a person other than “I”
- acts out the feeling or condition described by the adjective, or
- pretends to be in the condition described by the adjective
- ほしがります （ほしい + がります） is used when someone other than “I” wants something as ほしいです is only OK for the sentence starting with わたし は/が (expressed or implied) .
Examples
- ジョンさんは いつもあつがります。
John always acts hot (= complains of the heat). - そのとなりで メアリーさんは さむがります。
Next to him, Mary acts cold (= complains of the cold). - むすめは さみしがります。
My daughter will act lonely (= show she feels lonely). - ははは くもを こわがります。
My mother acts scared of spiders (= shows that she is scared of spiders). - むすこは おにを こわがりません。 （⇐ this is today’s question)
My son doesn’t act scared of an ogre (= doesn’t show he is scared of an ogre). - あには すぐに とくいがります。
My older brother acts proud (= shows pride) straight away. - おとうとは いつも つよがります。
My younger brother always pretends to be strong. - むすこは アイスクリームを ほしがります。
My son wants ice cream.
Vocab
| あつい | いadj | kind, warm(hearted), thick, deep |
| こわい | いadj | scared, scary |
| さみしい | いadj | lonely |
| つよい | いadj | strong, powerful |
Variation
[verb stem] + たがります* is used when a third party want(s) to do something all the time**.
*た is the stem of the auxiliary いadjective たい
**You will learn how to describe a temporary desire in Module 10.
Examples
- ははは うどんを たべたがります。
My mother wants to eat udon noodles all the time. - むすこは こうえんに いきたがります。
My son always wants to go to a playground. - あねは あたらしい ふくを かいたがります。
My older sister always wants to buy clothes.
Suggested Activities
- Write and say as many sentences as you can about what you want to do, what you don’t want to do, what you wanted to do and what you didn’t want to do.
- Memorize above examples.
- Try to make more sentences using other adjectives.
Course: JLPT N5
