飲みたいです
nomitai desu
In Japanese, "I want to drink" is expressed as 飲みたいです (nomitai desu).
This phrase is used to express a desire to consume a liquid or an alcoholic beverage. Because the subject is often omitted in Japanese, 飲みたいです can mean "I want to drink", "You want to drink" or "He wants to drink" depending on the context.
Which one should you use?
While 飲みたいです is a standard way to express this desire, the variation のみたいのですが is slightly more polite and often implies a trailing thought, such as "I want to drink (but/and…)". In informal settings, you can use のみたい or the more casual のみたいんだけど, which translates to "I want to drink (but…)".
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you wanted to drink in the past, you change the ending to 飲みたかった.
How do you pronounce it?
nomitai desu
Did you know?
- The phrase 飲みたい is frequently used as a coded way to suggest getting alcohol, as the verb 飲む is often used on its own to mean 'drinking alcohol' without mentioning the beverage.
- The verb 飲む (nomu), used in 飲みたい, is also used for 'taking' medicine, so saying 薬を飲みたい means 'I want to take medicine' rather than 'I want to drink medicine'.
- The term 飲み会 (nomikai) describes a 'drinking party' that is often a highly structured social event governed by unspoken rules regarding seating order and hierarchy.
Examples in context
- 水が飲みたいです。I want to drink some water.This sentence is useful for saying you want to drink some water with the form 飲みたいです.Tatoeba #10901740 by small_snow, translation #270741 by CK
- 熱いお茶が飲みたいです。I want to drink some hot tea.This sentence is useful for saying you want to drink some hot tea with the form 飲みたいです.Tatoeba #10901812 by small_snow, translation #10901813 by CK
- 飲みたいです。I want to drink it.This sentence is useful for saying you want to drink it with the form 飲みたいです.Tatoeba #5069844 by walter_scarborough, translation #4573415 by imjcooper
- すみません、お水をのみたいです。Excuse me, I want to drink water.
- すみません、お茶をのみたいのですが、いただけますか？Excuse me, I want to drink tea. Would it be possible?
- お水をのみたい。I want to drink water.
- お茶をのみたいんだけど、どこかで飲みませんか？I want to drink tea. Would you like to grab a drink somewhere?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are walking together on a hot day.
- 美咲 Misakiのどが渇きましたね。何か飲みたいです。Nodo ga kawakimashita ne. Nanika nomitai desu.I'm thirsty. I want to drink something.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。あそこに自動販売機がありますよ。Ii desu ne. Asoko ni jidouhanbaiki ga arimasu yo.Good idea. There's a vending machine over there.
- 美咲 Misaki冷たいジュースが飲みたいです。Tsumetai juusu ga nomitai desu.I want to drink a cold juice.
- 陽太 Yotaわかりました。行きましょう。Wakarimashita. Ikimashou.Got it. Let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
