S2 Lesson #32, what does なあ means?

[watermen]

山田さんと行きたいなあと思って。

What does なあ in this sentence means, can someone kindly explain to me? Thank you.

[NickT]

Like so many things in Japanese, it doesn't really mean anything, but it functions mainly just to add emphasis to the sentence.

山田さんと行きたいと思って translates to basically the same thing, which is "I thought that I wanted to go with Yamada-san".

By adding the なぁ you get 山田さんと行きたいなぁと思って which comes across more like: I thought, "I would *really* like to go with Yamada-san". It adds a sense of longing I guess.

It is covered in Intermediate lesson 16. You can also find a bit more on it here: http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=naa

[watermen]

Like so many things in Japanese, it doesn't really mean anything, but it functions mainly just to add emphasis to the sentence.

山田さんと行きたいと思って translates to basically the same thing, which is "I thought that I wanted to go with Yamada-san".

By adding the なぁ you get 山田さんと行きたいなぁと思って which comes across more like: I thought, "I would *really* like to go with Yamada-san". It adds a sense of longing I guess.

It is covered in Intermediate lesson 16. You can also find a bit more on it here: http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=naa

Thanks for your explanation again, I am much clear now. Thanks man.