ISORI

〜たい

Conjugation:

want to

Says what the speaker wants to do: "I want to…". In a question it asks what the listener wants to do.

Conjugation rules

  • Start from the ます form and replace ます with たい: 食(た)べます becomes 食(た)べたい.
  • たい conjugates like an い-adjective: 食(た)べたくない (don't want to eat) and 食(た)べたかった (wanted to eat).
  • To make it polite, add です: 食(た)べたいです.

Examples

ichidan
食(た)べる(to eat)食(た)べたい
godan
行(い)く(to go)行(い)きたい
irregular
する(to do)したい
来(く)る(to come)来(き)たい

Example sentences

水(みず)が飲(の)みたいです。

I want to drink water.

夏休(なつやす)みに日本(にほん)へ行(い)きたいです。

I want to go to Japan in the summer holidays.

Notes

  • The object of the verb can be marked with が or を: 水(みず)が飲(の)みたい and 水(みず)を飲(の)みたい are both used.
  • たい states the speaker's own wish. For someone else, Japanese usually reports it: 〜たがる (行(い)きたがっている) or 行(い)きたいと言(い)っていた (said they want to go).
  • Asking someone of higher status what they want with 〜たいですか can sound too direct.

Similar meaning