Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
Want to say things like:
- “I want my friend to come”?
- “I wanted my mom to pick me up”?
- “I don’t want that person to speak”?
In Japanese, when you want someone else to do something for you, you use:
Person + に + V-て + ほしい（です）
= I want (person) to do ~
Let’s learn how to express your wishes toward others naturally and politely in Japanese!
1. Grammar Structure
Pattern: [Person] + に + [V-て form] + ほしい（です）
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| I want Jun to come to the party. | じゅんさんにパーティーに来てほしいです。 |
| I wanted my mom to pick me up. | おかあさんに駅まで迎えに来てほしかったです。 |
| I don’t want that person to come to my house. | あの人にうちに来てほしくないです。 |
2. Step-by-Step Breakdown
（わたしは）Person に V-て ほしい（です）。
| Element | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Person + に | marks the person you want to act |
| V-て form | use the て-form of the verb |
| ほしい | means “want” — acts on the action |
The person feeling the desire (the speaker) is usually the subject, often omitted, and would typically be marked by は or が if included.
📒 If you are not confident in verb te-forms, review Lesson 6 of Level 1!
3. Conjugation of ほしい
As we learned in ～がほしい (I want ~), ほしい behaves as an い-adjective, and you can conjugate it as such.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Positive | …してほしいです (I want them to do) |
| Negative | …してほしくないです (I don’t want them to do) |
| Past | …してほしかったです (I wanted them to do) |
| Past Negative | …してほしくなかったです (I didn’t want them to do) |
4. Example Sentences
- 子どもに野菜を食べてほしいです。
= I want my child to eat vegetables. - 先生に名前を覚えてほしいです。
= I want the teacher to remember my name. - 彼女にもっと笑ってほしいです。
= I want her to smile more. - 父に兄弟を比べてほしくないです。
= I don’t want my father to compare me to my siblings. - 彼氏にプレゼントを買ってほしかったです。
= I wanted my boyfriend to buy me a gift.
5. Practice Time!
Make your own sentences using the structure:
| Prompt | Example |
|---|---|
| friend / help with homework | 友だちに宿題を手伝ってほしいです。 |
| boss / stop yelling | 上司に大声で話すのをやめてほしいです。 |
| mother / not compare siblings | 母に兄弟を比べてほしくないです。 |
| teacher / not mispronounce name | 先生に名前を間違えてほしくないです。 |
| girlfriend / buy a present | 彼女にプレゼントを買ってほしかったです。 |
6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
- QCan I use this for polite requests?
- A
Not really. This structure expresses your internal desire or wish. While it can sound softer than a direct command, it’s not typically used for standard polite requests to someone you need to be very formal with (like a boss or a stranger asking for help). For polite requests, use forms like ～てください, ～ていただけますか or more indirect expressions.
- QCan I use it for what I wanted in the past?
- A
Yes! Just conjugate ほしい into its past tense forms:
- 〜てほしかったです (polite past positive)
- 〜てほしくなかったです (polite past negative)
- QHow is 「V-てほしい」 different from 「Noun がほしい」?
- A
N がほしい: Expresses the speaker’s desire to possess or have a noun (a thing).
Example: 新しい本がほしいです。(Atarashii hon ga hoshii desu.) = I want a new book.V-てほしい: Expresses the speaker’s desire for someone else to perform an action (a verb) for the speaker’s benefit.
Example: 友達に新しい本を買ってほしいです。(Tomodachi ni atarashii hon o katte hoshii desu.) = I want my friend to buy me a new book. (Here, the speaker wants the action “buy,” performed by the friend, related to the noun “book”).
- QWhat is the difference between 「〜てほしい」 and the related structures 「〜てもらう」(V-てform + morau) and 「〜てくれる」(V-てform + kureru)?
- A
These are related patterns involving someone doing an action for the speaker’s benefit, but the focus is different:
- 〜てほしい: Focuses on the speaker’s desire or wish for someone else to do something for them. (Speaker wants Person to do V).
- 〜てもらう: Focuses on the speaker receiving the favor of someone doing something. (Speaker receives the favor of Person doing V).
- 〜てくれる: Focuses on someone else doing a favor for the speaker. (Person does V for Speaker).
- QCan I use 「〜てほしい」 when I want an inanimate thing or a situation (like the weather) to do something?
- A
Yes, although the 「Person に」 part is sometimes omitted or the subject might be the inanimate thing itself (marked by が or は). This pattern can express a wish for a situation or inanimate object to “be” in a certain state or “do” something beneficial.
Example: 明日は晴れてほしいです。(Ashita wa harete hoshii desu.) = I want it to be sunny tomorrow. (The weather/situation is implicitly what you want to “be” sunny).
7. Conclusion
Now you can:
✅ Express “I want someone to do something”
✅ Use て-form + ほしい naturally
✅ Conjugate ほしい to match your intended meaning
🎯 Try this:
Write 3 sentences about something you want someone to do — and 2 about what you didn’t want!
Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations?
Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage.
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