「Learn Japanese」 How-to Say “(I/We) want X” and “Do you want X?” (Xがほしいです)

「Learn Japanese」 Xがほしいです as “(I/We) want X” or Xがほしいですか as “Do you want X?”

The い-adjective ほしい is used to express a desire. Despite being an い-adjective and being conjugated as such, ほしい’s structural use is more similar to that of a verb.

Example(s):

私は犬がほしいです。
Watashi wa inu ga hoshii desu. (I want a dog.)

ケーキがほしいです。
Cake ga hoshii desu. (I want cake.)

犬がほしかったですが今猫がほしいです。
Inu ga hoshikatta desuga ima neko ga hoshii desu. (I wanted a dog before but now I want a cat.)

それは欲しくありませんでした。
Sore wa hoshiku arimasendeshita. (I did not want that.)

いったい何がほしいかだろうか。
Ittai nanika ga hoshii ka darouka? (What on earth do you want?/Just what is it exactly that you want!?)

*Notice that when no subject is explicitly stated, it is implied to be the speaker unless the sentence is a question, in which the implied subject is the addressee.

*The question form of this construct can at times be construed by addressees as much too assertive speech, so it is best to be careful in using this construct when speaking to people who should or must be shown respect.

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Edit(s):

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