あれが欲しい
are ga hoshii
In Japanese, 'I want that' is expressed as あれが欲しい (are ga hoshii).
The phrase is used to express a desire to possess a specific object that is located away from the speaker.
Which one should you use?
Use あれが欲しい when the object is far away. Use それが欲しい when the object is near the listener.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the expression polite, you can add desu to the end of the phrase, resulting in あれが欲しいです. If you want to say 'I don't want that', the negative form of hoshii is hoshikunai, making the phrase あれが欲しくない.
How do you pronounce it?
are ga hoshii
Did you know?
- Using hoshii to describe another person's desires is generally avoided because it can sound like you are reading their mind, which is considered presumptuous in Japanese culture.
- If you were to say あれが欲しい to describe a desire for a person, it would sound as though you are treating that person like a physical object or a piece of merchandise.
- In Japanese, you cannot use 欲しい to express that you want a person or an action, such as 'I want to eat'. Instead, you must use a different grammatical structure entirely.
Examples in context
- これはいらないけど、あれが欲しいです。I don't want this, I want that.This sentence is useful for showing the contrast between what you do not want and what you do want using あれが欲しい.Tatoeba #12453482 by small_snow, translation #10890140 by Ergulis
- あれが欲しい。are ga hoshii.I want that.
- あっちの赤いバッグ、あれが欲しい！atchi no akai baggu, are ga hoshii!That red bag over there, I want that!
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are looking at toys in a store.
- 陽太 Yota陽太：見て！あれが欲しい！Yota: Mite! Are ga hoshii!Look! I want that!
- 陽葵 Himari陽葵：どれのこと？Himari: Dore no koto?Which one are you talking about?
- 陽太 Yota陽太：あそこの青いロボットだよ。Yota: Asoko no aoi robotto dayo.The blue robot over there.
- 陽葵 Himari陽葵：かっこいいけど、高いと思うよ。Himari: Kakkoii kedo, takai to omou yo.It's cool, but I think it's expensive.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
