When you want to express “I want…” in Japanese, you’ll often use either 〜たい or 〜てほしい — but they’re not the same! In this post, we’ll explore the difference between these two common expressions and how to use them naturally in daily conversation.

What’s the Difference?

✏️ How to Use ～たい

➤ Structure:

Verb stem + たい

• 食たべたい → want to eat
• 飲のみたい → want to drink
• 行いきたい → want to go

➤ Examples:

• ピザが食たべたいです。(I want to eat pizza.)
• 今週末こんしゅうまつ、映画えいがを見みたい。
  (I want to watch a movie this weekend.)
• 日本にほんに行いきたいです。
  (I want to go to Japan.)

🔸Note: 〜たい is a bit casual. For polite speech, add です after it.

✏️ How to Use ～てほしい

➤ Structure:

[Person] に + Verb in て-form + ほしい

This pattern means “I want [someone] to do something.”

➤ Examples:

• お母かあさんにケーキを作つくってほしい。
  (I want my mom to make a cake.)
• 子こどもたちに静しずかにしてほしい。
  (I want the kids to be quiet.)
• 友ともだちに手伝てつだってほしいです。
  (I want my friend to help me.)

🔸Tip: You can leave out the person (に) if it’s obvious from context.

What is the て-form?

Before learning ～てほしい, it’s important to understand what the て-form is.

The て-form is a special form of a verb used in many grammar patterns in Japanese, such as:

• ～てください (please do…)
• ～てもいいです (it’s okay to…)
• ～てはいけません (you must not…)
• And of course, ～てほしい (I want someone to…)

How to Make the て-form

Here are a few basic rules for converting verbs to the て-form:

Group 1 Verbs (U-verbs)

Group 2 Verbs (Ru-verbs)

• Just drop る and add て
  食たべる → 食たべて (eat)
  見みる → 見みて (see)

Irregular Verbs

The て-form is very useful! You’ll see it everywhere in Japanese, so learning it early will help a lot.

Once you know the て-form, you can start using it with ～てほしい to say what you want someone to do.

Using the て-form in Sentences

The て-form connects verbs to many useful expressions in Japanese. Here are common ways the て-form is used:

1. ～てください（Please do…）

Used to make polite requests.

• ドアを開あけてください。
  (Please open the door.)
• 名前なまえを書かいてください。
  (Please write your name.)

2. ～ている（Describing current actions or states）

Used like “-ing” in English.

• 今いま、ごはんを食たべています。
  (I am eating now.)
• 彼かれはテレビを見みています。
  (He is watching TV.)

3. ～てもいいです（It’s okay to… / You may…）

Used to give permission.

• トイレに行いってもいいですか。
  (May I go to the bathroom?)
• ここにすわってもいいですよ。
  (You can sit here.)

4. ～てはいけません（You must not…）

Used to say something is not allowed.

• ここでたばこを吸すってはいけません。
  (You must not smoke here.)
• 携帯けいたいを使つかってはいけません。
  (You’re not allowed to use your phone.)

5. ～てほしい（I want someone to do…）

This connects directly to our main topic.

• 父ちちに新あたらしいパソコンを買かってほしい。
  (I want my dad to buy me a new computer.)
• 先生せんせいにゆっくり話はなしてほしい。
  (I want the teacher to speak slowly.)

6. ～てから（After doing…)

Used to describe sequences.

• ごはんを食たべてから、勉強べんきょうします。
  (I’ll study after eating.)
• シャワーを浴あびてから寝ねます。
  (I go to bed after taking a shower.)

7. ～て、～（And / Then…）

Used to link multiple actions.

• 朝起あさおきて、コーヒーを飲のみます。
  (I wake up and drink coffee.)
• 学校がっこうに行いって、勉強べんきょうしました。
  (I went to school and studied.)

📝 Summary Table

🎯 Quick Comparison

🗣 Practice Time!

Translate the following sentences into Japanese:

1. I want to drink coffee.
2. I want my brother to clean the room.
3. I want to meet my friend.
4. I want my teacher to explain again.
5. I want to go to Kyoto.
6. I want my parents to come to Japan.
7. I want to read that book.
8. I want my friend to call me.
9. I want to study Japanese more.
10. I want my coworker to help me with this.

🌟 Summary

Both are useful and commonly used in everyday Japanese! Start practicing with your own examples to get the hang of it.

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