JLPT N5 · Likes, wants and can · 46 of 60

Want to with たいです

～たいです ~ tai desu Want to do

Change ます to たい (tai) to say you want to do something: 行きたいです, I want to go. たい changes like an い-adjective.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Likes, wants and can
English links: want to, infinitive, would like, third-person -s

What it means

Take the ます form, drop ます and add たい. 行きます becomes 行きたい, want to go. Add です to make it polite: 行きたいです.

たい acts like an い-adjective, so it changes like 高い: 行きたくない (do not want to go), 行きたかった (wanted to go), 行きたくなかった (did not want to go).

The object can take を or が: 水を飲みたい or 水が飲みたい. Both are correct. が puts a little more weight on the thing you want.

たい is for your own wishes, and for questions to the listener: 行きたいですか. Japanese does not usually say 田中さんは行きたいです, because you cannot know another person's feelings directly. Asking a senior colleague 行きたいですか can also sound too direct.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
行きます → 行きたいです ikimasu → ikitai desu	Drop ます, add たいです.
行きたくないです / 行きたくありません ikitakunai desu / ikitaku arimasen	Do not want to. Change い to くない, like an い-adjective.
行きたかったです ikitakatta desu	Wanted to. Change い to かった.
Noun を / が + verb たい noun o / ga + verb tai	Both particles are fine: すしを食べたい, すしが食べたい.

Examples

日本の歌を覚えたいです。 nihon no uta o oboetai desu. I want to learn some Japanese songs.
今日は早く帰りたいです。 kyou wa hayaku kaeritai desu. I want to go home early today.
夏休みに沖縄へ行きたいです。 natsuyasumi ni okinawa e ikitai desu. I want to go to Okinawa in the summer holidays.
何が食べたいですか。 nani ga tabetai desu ka. What do you want to eat?
今日は何もしたくないです。 kyou wa nani mo shitakunai desu. I don't want to do anything today.

How English says it

"Want to" plus the base verb: "I want to go." The "to" is not optional. To sound more polite, for example to a guest or in a shop, use "I'd like to".

English changes "want", not the main verb: "I wanted to go", "I don't want to go". The verb after "to" stays in its base form.

For other people, English has no limit: "She wants to go" is normal. Remember the -s for he, she and it.

Why it can make English hard

たい joins straight onto the verb, with nothing between them. Many students leave out "to": "I want go."
Japanese has two patterns, ほしい for things and たい for actions, but English has one word, "want". Some learners mix the forms: "I want to a new bag."
Because Japanese avoids たい for other people, some students rarely practise "he wants" and forget the -s: "She want to go."
"I want to..." can sound blunt in requests. Many students use it with a teacher or in a shop, where "I'd like to..." or "Could I...?" is kinder.

Mistakes you will hear

I want go to Tokyo. I want to go to Tokyo. "Want" needs "to" before the verb.
I wanted to went to the party. I wanted to go to the party. The past tense goes on "want" only. The verb after "to" stays in the base form.
She want to be a doctor. She wants to be a doctor. He, she and it need the -s.
I want to a new bike. I want a new bike. With a thing, use "want" alone. That is ほしい in Japanese. Use "want to" only before a verb.

In the classroom

Wish list: students write three "I want to..." sentences about the summer holidays, then share them with a partner, who asks "Why?"
Show the tense on the board: 行きたい → 行きたかった, want to go → wanted to go. Circle where the past goes. In both languages it goes on the "want" part.
Practise the polite version for real situations, such as ordering food or asking a teacher. Turn "I want to..." into "I'd like to..." or "Could I...?"

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Change to "want to": 寝ます。

Answer: 寝たいです。

Drop ます and add たいです.
2. Make it negative: 行きたいです。

Answer: 行きたくないです。 (or: 行きたくありません。)

たい changes like an い-adjective: い becomes くない.
3. Translate: 新しい車を買いたかったです。

Answer: I wanted to buy a new car.

The past goes on "want". "Buy" stays in the base form.
4. A student writes "I want eat ramen." Fix it.

Answer: I want to eat ramen.

"Want" needs "to" before a verb.