Learning objectives
- Lesson goals: Learn to distinguish たい (first-person desire) from たがる (describing third-person's apparent desire).
- Form and connection: [Verb masu-stem] たい ／ たがる
- Nuance in real use: The tai/tagaru distinction reveals a fundamental Japanese principle: you can't say what someone else is thinking. You can only see their behavior — he "shows signs of wanting to go." This is the perfect grammatical expression of the Japanese "uchi/soto" worldview.
Form and connection
Core Explanation
Learn to distinguish たい (first-person desire) from たがる (describing third-person's apparent desire).
Cultural Note
Practical examples
Common pitfalls
Build the base form before adding the pattern
Complete the required conjugation first. Do not keep polite and plain endings at the same time.
Match politeness to the situation
The examples are reliable starting points; relationships and context can still change the most natural wording.
Practice and answers
Show answer
[Verb masu-stem] たい ／ たがるShow answer
I want to go to Japan.Show answer
子こどもはいつもお菓子かしを食たべたがります。 ([Verb masu-stem] たい ／ たがる)Continue learning
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