たいWant to do
たい attaches to a verb to express the speaker's desire to do that action. In a question, it asks what the listener wants to do.
The speaker's own wish
An affirmative statement normally describes something the speaker personally wants to do. The action should usually be something the speaker can intentionally perform.
Statements and questions
Use a statement for your own desire and a question when asking the listener about theirs.
Changing the ending
Swipe sideways to compare every column.
| Time | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Nonpast | 食べたい / 食べたいです | 食べたくない / 食べたくないです |
| Past | 食べたかった / 食べたかったです | 食べたくなかった / 食べたくなかったです |
The desire ending changes like an i-adjective: replace its final い with くない, かった, or くなかった.
Marking the object
With a transitive verb, を is normal. が can also sound natural when attention is strongly on the thing desired, but the two particles are not automatically interchangeable in every sentence.
Object examples
A softer lead-in
駅まで行きたいんですが、どのバスに乗ればいいですか。
I'd like to go to the station; which bus should I take?
Analyze三番のバスに乗ってください。
Please take bus number three.
Analyzeたいんですが presents your desired action as background before asking for information, permission, or help.
More examples
明日は早く起きたいです。
I want to get up early tomorrow.
Analyze夏休みに北海道へ行きたいです。
I want to go to Hokkaido during summer vacation.
Analyze今夜は料理をしたくないです。
I don't want to cook tonight.
Analyze子どものころ、犬を飼いたかったです。
When I was a child, I wanted to have a dog.
Analyze次の休みに何をしたいですか。
What do you want to do on your next day off?
Analyzeいつか日本に来たいです。
I want to come to Japan someday.
Analyze