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N5 · Lesson 13

Wishes and purposes

Say what you want (欲[ほ]しい), what you want to do (〜たい) and what you are going somewhere for.

Grammar

N が しいです — "I want (something)"

N が しいです

しい is an -い adjective expressing the wish to have something; the thing wanted is marked with が: しいです (I want a car).

Examples

  • I want friends.

V たいです — "I want to do"

V (ます form) たいです

Dropping ます and adding たい expresses the wish to do the action: きたいです. たい conjugates like an -い adjective (きたくないです, きたかったです). The object may be marked with を or が.

Examples

  • I want to eat tempura.

  • I don't want to go anywhere today.

N (place) へ V に きます — purpose

place へ V (ます form)/N に きます/ます/ります

に marks the purpose of the trip; it can take a verb stem (ぎに きます, to go swimming) or an action noun (きます, to go shopping).

Examples

  • I'm going to Kobe to eat Indian food.

  • I came to Japan to study fine art.

どこか/か — "somewhere, something"

どこか へ / か を

どこか (somewhere) and か (something) turn the question word into an indefinite. The particles へ and を are usually dropped after them: どこか きましたか.

Examples

  • Did you go anywhere over the winter holidays? …Yes, I went to Hokkaido.

ご〜 — the polite prefix

ご + N (Sino-Japanese)

ご is the counterpart of お for words with Chinese readings: ご (your order), ご (your family). Both prefixes show respect for the listener's things.

Examples

  • What would you like to order? …A gyudon, please.

Vocabulary

WordReadingMeaning
to play, to enjoy oneself
to swim
to pick up, to meet (someone)
to get tired
to get married
to go shopping
to eat
to take a walk [in the park]
tough, terrible
to want (something)
wide, spacious
narrow
swimming pool
river
fine arts
fishing
skiing
weekend
New Year
around ~ (time)
something
somewhere
to be thirsty
to be hungry
let's do that
what would you like to order?
set menu
gyudon (beef bowl)
please wait [a moment]
(polite form of です)
separately

See this lesson's vocabulary →

See also