Can Say What Kind of Thing You Want in Japanese - Learn

Learn to say what you want in Japanese

Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to say what you want in Japanese?

You'll learn how in just a moment.

Hi, my name is Emiri, and this is Three Step Japanese by JapanesePod101.com.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to say what you want through a quick conversation.

Let's look at the dialogue.

As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds.

すてきなおへやですね。あのえも　すてきです。

Suteki na o-heya desu ne. Ano e mo suteki desu.

つまも　あのえが　すきです。でも、わたしは　ほかのえが　ほしいです。

Tsuma mo ano e ga suki desu. Demo watashi wa hoka no e ga hoshii desu.

ささきさんは　どんな　えが　ほしいですか。

Sasaki-san wa donna e ga hoshii desu ka.

おもしろい　えが　ほしいです。

Omoshiroi e ga hoshii desu.

Let's break it down.

すてきなおへやですね。あのえも　すてきです。

Suteki na o-heya desu ne. Ano e mo suteki desu.

It's a beautiful room, isn't it? That picture is also nice.

つまも　あのえが　すきです。でも、わたしは　ほかのえが　ほしいです。

Tsuma mo ano e ga suki desu. Demo watashi wa hoka no e ga hoshii desu.

I also like that picture. But I want to buy other pictures.

ささきさんは　どんな　えが　ほしいですか。

Sasaki-san wa donna e ga hoshii desu ka.

What kind of picture would you like, Mr. Sasaki?

ささきさん (Sasaki-san) refers to the person being addressed, Mr. Sasaki. ささきさん (enunciated). ささきさん。

は (wa) is the topic marking-particle. は (enunciated). は。

Putting it together, ささきさんは (Sasaki-san wa) means "As for Mr. Sasaki..."

ささきさんは。

どんな (donna) means "What kind of." It asks for a specific type or characteristic. どんな (enunciated). どんな。

え (e): "Picture." This is the subject of the inquiry. え (enunciated). え。

が (ga) here is the object of desire marking particle. が (enunciated). が。

So, どんな　えが (donna e ga) translates to "what kind of picture..."

どんな　えが。

ほしい (hoshii) is an adjective in Japanese, but equivalent to "want" in English. ほしい (enunciated). ほしい。

ですか (desu ka) turns the statement into a question. ですか (enunciated). ですか。

Altogether, ささきさんは　どんな　えが　ほしいですか (Sasaki-san wa donna e ga hoshii desu ka) means "What kind of picture would you like, Mr. Sasaki?"

ささきさんは　どんな　えが　ほしいですか。

おもしろい　えが　ほしいです。

Omoshiroi e ga hoshii desu.

I want interesting pictures.

おもしろい (omoshiroi) is "interesting." おもしろい (enunciated). おもしろい。

え (e) "picture," え (enunciated). え。

が (ga) here is the object of desire marking particle, as previously noted. が (enunciated). が。

ほしい (hoshii) as already mentioned is an adjective in Japanese, but equivalent to "want" in English… ほしい (enunciated). ほしい。

です (desu) is a polite ending to the statement. です (enunciated). です。

All together, おもしろい　えが　ほしいです (Omoshiroi e ga hoshii desu) translates to "I want interesting pictures."

おもしろい　えが　ほしいです。

Let's look at the sentence pattern.

This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow.

[adjective] [ITEM]が　ほしいです。

[adjective] [ITEM]-ga hoshii desu.

I want [adjective] [ITEM].

In this pattern, you describe what kind of item you want using an adjective, followed by the item itself. The particle が (ga) links the item to the phrase ほしいです (hoshii desu), expressing the desire for the item.

This structure allows for expressing specific desires about items in Japanese, providing a clear and direct way to state what you want.

Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.

おもしろい　えが　ほしいです。 (Omoshiroi e ga hoshii desu.)

"I want interesting pictures."

In this sentence:

おもしろい (omoshiroi) is the adjective, meaning "interesting." It describes the kind of pictures being desired. Then, え (e) isthe noun, which means "pictures." It is the object that the person wants.

が (ga): This particle connects the noun "え" (pictures) to the desire expressed by "ほしいです."

Finally, ほしいです (hoshii desu). This phrase means "I want" and is a polite way to express a need or a want.

Together, the sentence おもしろい　えが　ほしいです translates directly to "I want interesting pictures."

Now you can use this pattern to clearly communicate your desires in Japanese, specifying exactly what you want and how you want it.

Now let's look at some speaking examples.

First is,

あたらしい　ともだちが　ほしいです。

"I want new friends."

Can you see how the pattern applies also here?

Let's break it down:

あたらしい is the adjective, and ともだち is the item they want.

が is the particle indicating the object, which connects the item to the ほしいです phrase.

Here's another example

おおきい　くるまが　ほしいです。 (Ookii no kuruma ga hoshii desu.)

"I want a big car."

[Slowly]おおきい　くるまが　ほしいです。 (Ookii no kuruma ga hoshii desu.)

おおきい　くるまが　ほしいです。

Let's try one more,

きれいな　えが　ほしいです。 (Kirei na e ga hoshii desu.)

"I want a beautiful painting."

[slowly] きれいな　えが　ほしいです。 (Kirei na e ga hoshii desu.)

きれいな　えが　ほしいです。

Another one.

いい　かさが　ほしいです。 (Ii kasa ga hoshii desu.)

"I want a good umbrella."

[slowly] いい　かさが　ほしいです。 (Ii kasa ga hoshii desu.)

いい　かさが　ほしいです。

One last example.

おいしい　ケーキが　ほしいです。 (Oishii kēki ga hoshii desu.)

"I want a delicious cake."

[slowly] おいしい　ケーキが　ほしいです。 (Oishii kēki ga hoshii desu.)

おいしい　ケーキが　ほしいです。

Let's review.

Do you remember how to say "interesting"?

おもしろい (omoshiroi)

And how to say "picture"?

え (e)

Do you remember what the "object-marking particle" is?

が (ga)

And how to say "I want"?

ほしいです (hoshii desu)

Do you remember how to say "I want interesting pictures."?

おもしろい　えが　ほしいです。 (Omoshiroi e ga hoshii desu.)

Now you know how to say what you want in Japanese. またね (mata ne)!

Thank you for watching.

Now you know how to say what you want in Japanese.

...and now you can move on to the practice.

Download the practice PDF in the PDF section of this lesson.

Comments

Hide