N3 Wishes and Desires

~てほしい/~てもらいたい: meaning, usage and examples

~てほしい/~てもらいたい means: I want (someone) to...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. ペンを貸かしてほしいんですけど…

   Could I borrow your pen? (Literally: I want you to lend me a pen...)

2. この本ほんを、あなたに読よんでもらいたい。

   I want you to read this book.

3. 木村きむらさんに、明日あしたの会議かいぎに出でてほしいです。

   I'd like Mr. Kimura to attend tomorrow's meeting.

4. 子こどもたちには、元気げんきに育そだってもらいたいです。

   I want my children to grow up healthy.

When to use it

Use てほしい or てもらいたい when you want someone else to do something: "I want (someone) to..." 田中たなかさんに手伝てつだってほしい means "I want Mr. Tanaka to help me." たい is for your own actions; these patterns are for other people's actions. With ないで they mean "I don't want someone to...": 遅おくれないでほしい.

Nuance

Said directly to someone, they can sound demanding, so people soften them with んですが or けど: 手伝てつだってほしいんですが. てもらいたい is slightly more formal, and ていただきたい is the polite version for superiors. てほしい can also express a wish about events: 早はやく春はるが来きてほしい.

Compare

てほしい and てもらいたい mean nearly the same thing with people. てほしい also works for things that are not people (雨あめがやんでほしい), but てもらいたい sounds odd there, because もらう means receiving a favor from someone. たい is only for the speaker's own action: 行いきたい (I want to go) vs 行いってほしい (I want you to go).

Tip: Mark the person you want to act with に: 弟おとうとに掃除そうじしてほしい. 弟おとうとが掃除そうじしたい would mean your brother himself wants to clean.