notes

notes on は and が

• 「私はコーヒが好きだ。」
  • this does not mean “I like coffee.”
  • 「コーヒ」 is the word marked by が, not 「私」
  • the core of the sentence is “Coffee is likable.”
  • 「私は」 just tells in what case “coffee is likable” (“As for me, …”)

    expressing want

• use 「欲しい」 to express that something is wanted
  • 「食べ物が欲しい。」 translates to “Food is wanted.”
• use the い stem and the helper adjective 「たい」 to express wanting to do something
  • ex: 「クレープが食べたい。」 roughly translates to “Crepes are want-inducing.”
  • ex: 「０が食べたい。」 means “(I am) wanting to eat.”
• these expressions should only be used when talking about oneself, not others, because you cannot know for sure what someone else is feeling
  • to talk about someone else, remove the い and add the helper adjective 「がる」 (to show signs of)
  • ex: 「彼がケーキを欲しがる。」 means “He is showing signs of wanting cake.”

    resources

• youtube