Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 7: 12/13

たい

Want to do

The object of desire can take either the を or が particle

Structure Legend

Structure

Verb[ます+
Verb[ます+ くない
Verb[ます+ かった
Verb[ます+ くなかった

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Auxiliary Verb

  • Word Type

    Dependent Word

  • Register

    Standard

  • 品詞

    助動詞

  • 単語の種類

    付属語

  • 使用域

    一般

About たい

たい is an auxiliary verb that is used to express things that you would like to do (want). To use たい, it needs to be added to the same conjugation base form of a verb that ます would be attached to.
  • 今夜(こんや)ピザ()たい
    Tonight, I want to eat pizza.
  • プロ歌手(かしゅ)(うた)たい
    I want to sing with a professional singer.
When using たい, the thing that is 'wanted' can either be marked with , or . The difference in nuance is that something marked with is considered to be wanted more. たい is conjugated in the same way as い-Adjectives, meaning that the negative, past, or past-negative forms may also be used.
  • (むし)()たくない
    I don't want to eat insects.
  • 警察官(けいさつかん)なりたかった
    I wanted to become a police officer.
  • (むかし)先生(せんせい)なりたくなかった
    In the past, I did not want to become a teacher.
たい is only used for expressing things that 'you' want, or repeating information/asking questions about what other people want. It may not be used to make guesses about what other people 'may' want, unless asking them directly.
  • (なに)()たい?
    What do you want to eat?
  • オレンジジュース()たかった
    Did you want to drink orange juice?
Caution
たい is not used to tell other people that you want them to do something. This is done with ~てほしい.
  • あなた(はん)(つく)たい
    As for you, I want to make dinner. (This can never mean 'I want you to make dinner for me', and is a fairly unnatural sentence)
Caution
たい is not usually used when giving invitations (asking someone if they want to do something with you). In these cases ~ませんか is far more natural.
  • アカネ()たい
    Akane, do you want to go too? (Sounds more like a question than an invitation)

Examples

  • 日本(にほん)()たい

    I want to go to Japan.

  • 来年(らいねん)日本(にほん)()たい

    Next year, I want to go to Japan.

  • (はや)()たい

    I want to eat soon.

  • サッカーたいです

    I want to play soccer.

  • 文法(ぶんぽう)勉強(べんきょう)たいです

    I want to study grammar.

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たい – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (13 in total)

  • MikkaT

    MikkaT

    About 6 months ago

    Hi, i’m sorry for asking a lot of questions, but I am really trying to understand how the grammar points are used.
    In this box is says that it should be used with を or が.
    But the examples never use が and even on the examples sentences page only a few use を.

  • IcyIceBear

    IcyIceBear

    About 6 months ago

    Don’t worry about asking questions that’s what these grammar point forums are for (⁠◠⁠ᴥ⁠◕⁠ʋ⁠)

    First, it doesn’t say that it should be used with を or が but rather able to use either. When marking an object of desire. So if the sentence doesn’t have that, then there’s nothing to mark. “I wanted to become a police officer” to become なる is always used with に, so no を or が in the なりたい sentences. For the 虫は食べたくない , the は is used for negative contrast instead. The sentence would still work with either を or が.

    プロの歌手と歌いたい, again no object of desire. “I want to sing with a pro singer.” If it was この歌(を/が)歌いたい you would use either marker, with が having more emphasis

  • MikkaT

    MikkaT

    About 6 months ago

    thanks for the explanation.

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