〜たい Want to do
Core meaning - Want to do
Form - Verb stem + たい; Verb stem + たかった; Verb stem + たくない
Usage - Focus on the highlighted segment in each example; surrounding words can change while the pattern function stays the same.
Use this pattern for its grammatical function, not as a literal word-by-word translation.
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
First/second person only — for third person use たがる
- ✅ 私は食べたい
- ❌ 彼は食べたい → 彼は食べたがっている
Object can take が or を
- 水が飲みたい (more natural)
- 水を飲みたい (also correct)
たいです for polite form
I want to eat something.
I want to watch a movie.
I dont want to rest.
I wanted to meet you.
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