modality N4 common casualpolitewritten
てもらいたい — want someone to ~
てもらいたい
Builds on 〜てもらう
Meaning
- (I) want someone to do ~ for me — たい 'want' stacked on the benefactive てもらう
Key sentence
もっと真剣に考えてもらいたい。
I want you to think about it more seriously.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb te-form (+ もらう → もらいたい) | [doer] に [verb-て] + もらいたい | 手伝ってもらいたい |
Examples
この書類を明日までに出してもらいたい。
I want this paperwork submitted by tomorrow.
子どもには自分で決めてもらいたいと思っている。
I want my child to decide for themselves.
When you can't use it
- It is about *someone else's* action. To say you want to do something yourself, use 〜たい (×自分が行ってもらいたい → 行きたい). Said directly to a listener it can sound demanding/top-down, so soften it (〜てもらいたいんだけど) or use てほしい.
Easily confused with
See てもらいたい in real sentences
Jengo shows てもらいたい the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.