JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜たいです (tai desu) — “I Want to Do”

JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜たいです (tai desu)

Expressing desire — “I want to do ~”

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう〜たいです解説かいせつ (希望きぼう)

⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes

〜たいです (tai desu) is how you express "I want to do" something in polite Japanese. Attach たい directly to the verb stem, then add です for politeness. It conjugates like an i‑adjective — one of the most useful patterns for expressing your wishes and plans.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: How do you say "I want to go to Japan" politely?

Answer: B (行きたいです). Stem 行き + たい = 行きたい (want to go). A is simply "I go/will go". C means "I want Japan" (a thing), not "I want to go to Japan".

Quick Summary

Grammar Point
〜たいです

Meaning
I want to do ~ (first‑person desire)

Pattern
Verb stem + たい + です

Example
日本にほんへ行いきたいです。にほんへいきたいです。Nihon e ikitai desu.
I want to go to Japan.

📝 Core Pattern

Desire (I want to do): Verb stem + たい + です

Negative: Verb stem + たくないです (i‑adj negative)

Past: Verb stem + たかったです (i‑adj past)

⚠️ たい is primarily for the speaker's own desire. For others' desires, use たがる (third‑person desire form).

🧠 Need the verb stem? See ます (masu) →

💡 Toggle furigana, hiragana, or romaji for easier reading.

What is 〜たいです?

〜たいです is the polite form used to express your own desire to do something. たい attaches directly to the verb stem (the same stem used for ます), and the whole thing behaves like an i‑adjective — it can be negated, made past tense, and used in questions.

Used primarily for the speaker's own wishes.
To ask someone else's desire, use たいですか (though this can be slightly direct).
For describing a third person's desire, switch to たがる.

日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしたいです。にほんごをべんきょうしたいです。Nihongo o benkyō shitai desu.
I want to study Japanese.

⚡ How to Form 〜たいです

Verb	Stem	+ たいです	Meaning
書かく (write)	書かき	書かきたいです	I want to write
食たべる (eat)	食たべ	食たべたいです	I want to eat
する (do)	し	したいです	I want to do
来くる (come)	来き (ki)	来きたいです	I want to come

⚡ Conjugation — たい is an i‑adjective

Form	Pattern	Example (食べる → 食べたい)
Affirmative	Stem + たいです	食たべたいです
Negative	Stem + たくないです	食たべたくないです
Past	Stem + たかったです	食たべたかったです
Past negative	Stem + たくなかったです	食たべたくなかったです

⚡ Particle Note: を → が with たい

When using たい, the direct object particle を is often replaced by が to emphasise the object of desire. Both are correct, but が sounds more natural and is preferred in most cases.

Version	Sentence	Nuance
を	コーヒーを飲のみたいです。	Grammatically correct; slightly more formal or written
が	コーヒーが飲のみたいです。	More natural and emphatic; very common in spoken Japanese

⚠️ JLPT Trap: Both を and が are acceptable with たい, but in the JLPT N5, if the sentence includes 〜たい and asks for the particle, が is often the preferred answer.

Examples & Mini Dialogue

来年らいねん日本にほんに留学りゅうがくしたいです。らいねんにほんにりゅうがくしたいです。Rainen Nihon ni ryūgaku shitai desu.
I want to study abroad in Japan next year.

✅ 留学する → し + たい = 留学したい.

お茶ちゃが飲のみたいです。おちゃがのみたいです。Ocha ga nomitai desu.
I want to drink tea. (using が for natural emphasis)

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: 週末しゅうまつ、何なにをしたいですか。しゅうまつ、なにをしたいですか。Shūmatsu, nani o shitai desu ka.
B: 映画えいがが見みたいです。えいががみたいです。Eiga ga mitai desu.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ 食たべるたいです (attaching たい to the dictionary form).

✓ 食たべたいです (use the stem: 食べ).

✕ Using たい for a third person → 彼かれは日本にほんへ行いきたいです。

✓ 彼かれは日本にほんへ行いきたがっています。(Use たがる for others.)

✕ 帰かえるたいです (wrong stem for godan verb).

✓ 帰かえりたいです (stem is 帰り, not 帰る).

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “I want to eat sushi.” Choose the correct form.

2. What is the past form of 食べたいです (I want to eat)?

3. Which particle is more natural with たい?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: たい is tested in both grammar and reading. Remember: it's an i‑adjective (past = たかった, not たいでした), and it's only for the speaker's own desire. For other people's wants, use たがる or ほしがる.

Test yourself with a free mock exam →

About the Instructor

Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

⚡ Vocabulary Used in This Lesson

Japanese	Reading	Type	English Meaning
日本にほん	にほん	Noun	Japan
行いく	いく	Godan verb	to go
日本語にほんご	にほんご	Noun	Japanese language
勉強べんきょうする	べんきょうする	Irregular verb	to study
留学りゅうがくする	りゅうがくする	Irregular verb	to study abroad
お茶ちゃ	おちゃ	Noun	tea
飲のむ	のむ	Godan verb	to drink
映画えいが	えいが	Noun	movie
見みる	みる	Ichidan verb	to see, to watch

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use たい for other people?

No — or rather, not directly. たい expresses the speaker's internal feeling. For others, use たがる or report what they said with 〜たいと言っています.

Why is が used with たい instead of を?

たい turns the verb into a state of desire, making the object more like the target of that desire. が emphasises this. を is still grammatically correct and appears in JLPT questions, but が is more natural.

How do I ask "What do you want to do?"

Use 何をしたいですか or 何がしたいですか. The を/が choice is the same — が is slightly more natural.

Continue Learning

Next: ほしい (hoshii) — expressing desire for objects.

Learn ほしい →

→ Explore the JLPT N5 Grammar Hub

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