| Expressions of Desire | |
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There are two ways to express desire or wish. When what one desires takes a noun (I want a car, I want money etc.) "hoshii (to want)" is used. When what one's wants involve action (I want to go, I want to eat etc.), the stem of the verb "~ tai （～たい）" is used.
| Kuruma ga hoshii desu. 車が欲しいです｡ |
I want a car. |
| Kuruma o kaitai desu. 車を買いたいです｡ |
I want to buy a car. |
| Sono hon ga hoshii desu. その本が欲しいです｡ |
I want that book. |
| Sono hon o yomitai desu. その本を読みたいです｡ |
I want to read that book. |
In informal situations, "~ desu（～です）" can be omitted.
| Okane ga hoshii. お金が欲しい｡ |
I want money. |
| Nihon ni ikitai. 日本に行きたい｡ |
I want to go to Japan. |
These patters are used only for the first person, and in question for the second person. When describing a third person's desire, "hoshigatte imasu （欲しがっています）" or the stem of the verb "~ tagatte imasu （～たがっています）" are used.
| Kamera ga hoshii desu. カメラが欲しいです｡ |
I want a camera. |
| Ani wa kamera o hoshigatte imasu. 兄はカメラを欲しがっています｡ |
My brother wants a camera. |
| Kono eiga o mitai desu. この映画を見たいです｡ |
I want to watch this movie. |
| Ken wa kono eiga o mitagatte imasu. 謙はこの映画を見たがっています｡ |
Ken wants to watch this movie. |
Please note that the object of "hoshii （ほしい）" is marked with the particle "ga （が）," while the object of "hoshigatte imasu（欲しがっています）" is marked with the particle "o （を）." The "~ tai（～たい）" expression is not normally used when asking about the desire of one's superior.
Here are some exercises. How would you say it? The answers are the bottom of the page.
(1) I want to drink beer.
(2) Do you want this hat?
(3) My sister wants a kitty.
(4) I want a new car.
(5) He wants to go for a trip.
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Answers for Exercises
(1) Biiru o nomitai desu./Biiru ga nomitai desu.（ビールを飲みたいです｡/ビールが飲みたいです。）
(2) Kono boushi ga hoshii desu ka. （この帽子が欲しいです｡）
(3) Imouto wa koneko o hoshigatte imasu. （妹は子猫を欲しがっています｡）
(4) Atarashii kuruma ga hoshii desu. （新しい車が欲しいです｡）
(5) Kare wa ryokou ni ikitagatte imasu. （彼は旅行に行きたがっています｡）
