欲しい
ほしい
adjective (i-adjective)
wanted, desired
See also:
欲しがる (-がる verb form)
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 欲しい | 欲しくない |
| Past | 欲しかった | 欲しくなかった |
| て form | 欲しくて | 欲しくなくて |
| Adverbial | 欲しく | — |
| Conditional ば | 欲しければ | 欲しくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 欲しかったら | 欲しくなかったら |
1.
wanted, desired
Used to express that you want something (a noun). The thing wanted is marked with が.
When I was a child, I wanted a dog, but I couldn't have one because my house was small.
Past tense: 欲しかった
2.
to want (someone) to do
In the pattern 「～てほしい」, expresses wanting someone else to do something.
An i-adjective expressing desire. Used for wanting things (nouns), not for wanting to do actions (use ～たい for that).
KEY GRAMMAR:
- Noun + が + 欲しい: I want [noun] (the desired thing takes が, not を)
- ～て欲しい: I want someone to do ~ (the person takes に)
COMMON MISTAKE:
Using を instead of が. The correct pattern is 水が欲しい (not 水を欲しい).
CONTRAST:
- 欲しい: want a thing (noun)
- ～たい: want to do (verb)