Wishes, invitations and abilities – Japanese N5 grammar
Meaning, explanation and example sentences with translations.
〜たい · I want to do something
one’s own wish to do something
Speaks of the speaker’s own wish. Japanese does not state other people’s wishes outright — it treats another person’s feelings as something we cannot see from outside, and reaches for other means instead (たがる follows at N4). The resulting expression inflects like an い-adjective.
masu-stem + たい; the object often changes を to が
Examples
- 日本へ行きたいです。I want to go to Japan.Only one’s own wish is being spoken of.
- 冷たい水が飲みたいです。I feel like drinking some cold water.The object takes が here instead of を — typical of たい.
〜がほしい · I want to have…
wanting to have a thing
It refers to a thing, not an action — and that is what sets it apart from たい. The thing wanted takes が, because ほしい is an adjective, not a verb. The same restriction applies as with たい: it is said outright only of one’s own wish.
noun + が + ほしいです
Examples
- 新しい自転車がほしいです。I want a new bicycle.The object of the wish, not an action.
- もう少し時間がほしいです。I would like a little more time.Intangible things take ほしい as well.
〜ませんか · shall we…?; wouldn’t you like to…?
an invitation leaving the other person free to decline
An invitation put as a negative question — it is exactly that negation that makes declining easy and puts nobody in an awkward position. It floats an idea the listener does not know about yet.
masu-stem + ませんか
Examples
- いっしょに昼ごはんを食べませんか。Shall we have lunch together?A suggestion that can comfortably be turned down.
- 今度の日曜日、映画を見ませんか。Shall we see a film this Sunday?The idea comes up in the conversation for the first time.
〜ましょう · let’s…
a proposal to act together, already more or less settled
It assumes the listener agrees and moves on to acting. That is why it fits where the matter is already more or less settled; thrown out as a first suggestion to someone who knows nothing about it, it sounds imposing — ませんか is the natural choice there.
masu-stem + ましょう
Examples
- そろそろ出かけましょう。Let’s start getting ready to go.The outing had been agreed on beforehand.
- ここで少し休みましょう。Let’s rest here for a while.A shared decision, not a question about anyone’s opinion.
〜ことができます · I can…, I am able to…
the ability or the opportunity to do something
Turns a verb into a noun by means of こと and predicates of it that it is doable. It covers both one’s own skill and an opportunity created by circumstances.
verb in dictionary form + ことができます
Examples
- わたしはピアノをひくことができます。I can play the piano.An acquired skill.
- ここでは日本語を話すことができます。Here you can speak Japanese.A possibility arising from the place, not from anyone’s skill.
〜がじょうずです / へたです · is good / poor at something
judging how good someone is at an activity
Judges a level of skill from the outside. The field takes が, because じょうず and へた are adjectives. One does not say じょうず of oneself — the custom of modesty forbids it.
person + は + field + が + じょうずです / へたです
Examples
- 妹は歌がじょうずです。My sister sings well.A judgment of someone else’s skill. One does not speak of oneself this way — not because it would be incorrect, but because it sounds like boasting.
- わたしは料理がへたです。I am a poor cook.Speaking of one’s own weakness is allowed; of one’s own proficiency, not.
Where this comes from
Everything above comes from the free part of the Kaname app and has passed its content review.
- Kaname: Japanese GrammarJLPT practice: N5 N4 N3 N2 N1
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