N5 · Wanting and intending
Wanting things: ほしい
ほしい and てほしい
ほしい says that you want a thing; てほしい says that you want somebody else to do something.
ほしい is an i-adjective meaning "wanted", and it is how Japanese says "I want" about a thing. What is wanted is marked with が: 新しい自転車がほしいです, "I want a new bicycle". It conjugates like any i-adjective — ほしくない, ほしかった. On its own it is written either in kana or as 欲しい; after a te-form, as below, it is normally written in kana.
たい is for actions, ほしい for things. "I want a car" is 車がほしい; "I want to buy a car" is 車を買いたい. English uses one verb for both, which is why learners produce 車を買いほしい, a mixture of the two that does not exist.
When you want somebody else to do something, put the verb in the te-form and add ほしい: 手伝ってほしい, "I want you to help". The person is marked with に: 弟にもっと勉強してほしい, "I want my brother to study more". The negative wish is ないでほしい: 行かないでほしい, "I don't want you to go".
Like たい, ほしい is the speaker's own feeling; about others, use ほしがる or ほしいと言っています. And てほしい said straight to somebody tells them about your feelings rather than asking them. It can sound like pressure, and an ordinary request is made with てください or てくれませんか.
The form
stem (regular) ending auxiliary verb
| want (a thing) | ほしい |
| don't want | ほしくない |
| wanted | ほしかった |
| didn't want | ほしくなかった |
| want you to help | 手伝ってほしい |
| don't want you to go | 行かないでほしい |
The rules one by one
The thing wanted is marked with が.
新しい自転車がほしいです。I want a new bicycle.
ほしい is for things, たい for actions.
時計がほしいです。時計を買いたいです。I want a watch. I want to buy a watch.
The te-form plus ほしい says that you want somebody to do it; that person takes に.
母に早く元気になってほしいです。I want my mother to get better soon.
ないでほしい says that you want somebody not to do it.
ここでたばこを吸わないでほしいです。I would rather people didn't smoke here.
In a question, ほしい asks about the listener.
誕生日に何がほしいですか。What do you want for your birthday?
A closer look
Politer ways to want something from somebody
てほしい is plain and direct. A softer, slightly more polite version is てもらいたい, and towards a superior or a customer the form is ていただきたい: 確認していただきたいのですが, "I would like you to check this, if you would".
With ほしい itself you will sometimes hear を instead of が, especially in long sentences. It is common in casual speech, but が is the standard and the safe choice.
How to spot it
- 〜がほしい
- ほしくない
- ほしかった
- 〜てほしい
- 〜ないでほしい
Example sentences
広い部屋がほしいです。I want a spacious room.
子どものころ、ずっと犬がほしかったです。As a child I always wanted a dog.
今は何もほしくないです。I don't want anything right now.
友達にもっと連絡してほしいです。I wish my friends would get in touch more often.
明日の会議には必ず来てほしいです。I want you to come to tomorrow's meeting without fail.
このことはだれにも言わないでほしい。I don't want you to tell anyone about this.
7 more example sentences
もう少し時間がほしいです。I would like a little more time.
どんなかばんがほしいんですか。What kind of bag are you after?
一番ほしかったゲームを買ってもらいました。Somebody bought me the game I wanted most.
夫にもう少し早く帰ってきてほしいです。I wish my husband would come home a little earlier.
子どもたちには自由に育ってほしいと思っています。I want my children to grow up free.
休みがほしいなあ。I could do with a holiday.
危ないから、一人で行かないでほしい。It's dangerous, so I'd rather you didn't go alone.
Worth knowing (2)
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Asking softly with んですが
Adding んですが after てほしい leaves the sentence open, so it sounds like a wish laid before the listener rather than an order.
窓を閉めてほしいんですが。I'd like you to shut the window, if you don't mind.
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Wishing for the weather
てほしい does not need a person to ask. It also wishes for things nobody controls: the rain, a train, the end of a long day.
早く雨がやんでほしいです。I wish the rain would stop.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "want" covers things and actions alike, so learners stick ほしい onto a verb. Japanese splits the job: ほしい takes a noun, and wanting to do something is たい on the ます-stem.
Want a thing: がほしい. Want to do it: たい. Want somebody else to do it: てほしい.
Your turn
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