9.3 Open-Ended Questions with たいです (tai desu)
This module shows you how to integrate the たい form into open-ended questions, offering a tool for uncovering deeper insights into someone’s desires and preferences.
Integrating たい with open-ended questions
When you use the たい form to ask open-ended questions about someone’s wishes or preferences, you can mix it with different question markers to elicit more detailed and interesting answers. This makes your conversations more engaging and tailored to what you really want to know!
Here are the key question markers and examples. For a more detailed explanation on how to use question markers, please see Module 7.4.
1. 何 (なに) – What
何を飲（の）みたいですか。
Nani o nomi tai desu ka.
What do you want to drink?
NOTE: In this sentence, the particle を is used because it marks 何 (what) as the direct object of the verb 飲みたい (want to drink). In Japanese, を is required to indicate what the verb is acting upon – in this case, what the person wants to drink.
Additional uses of 何 with other particles and たいですか:
- 何が (nani ga): Used to emphasise what specifically is desired.
- 何が食（た）べたいですか。 (Nani ga tabetai desu ka?: What do you want to eat?)
- 何で (nani de): Used to ask ‘by what means’ or ‘with what’.
- 何で行（い）きたいですか。 (Nani de ikitai desu ka?: How do you want to go?) In this case, the question is asking by what means of transport you are going. For more information on using the particle で for tools and methods, see Module 7.4.
- 何か (nani ka): Used to ask if there is something the person wants to do.
- 何か飲みたいですか。 (Nani ka nomitai desu ka?: Do you want to drink something?)
Each particle changes the question to ask about the object, method or choice desired.
2. どこ – Where
どこに行（い）きたいですか。
Doko ni iki tai desu ka.
Where do you want to go?
NOTE: The particle に is used to mark どこ (where) as the destination or direction of the action, indicating where the listener wants to go.
どこで夕食（ゆうしょく）を食（た）べたいですか。
Doko de yuu-shoku o tabe tai desu ka.
Where do you want to eat dinner?
NOTE: The particle で is used to mark どこ (where) as the location where the action takes place, indicating where the listener wants to eat dinner.
For more information on how to use the particles に and で, see Module 6.6 and Module 7.3, respectively.
3. いつ – When
いつオーストラリア（おおすとらりあ）に来（き）たいですか。
Itsu Oosutoraria ni ki tai desu ka.
When do you want to come to Australia?
NOTE: The question word いつ (itsu), meaning ‘when’, never takes particles.
4. 誰（だれ）– Who
5. どうやって – How
どうやってパーティーに行きたいですか。
Douyatte paatii ni iki tai desu ka.
How do you want to go to the party?
6. どのぐらい – How long / How much
どのぐらい日本に行きたいですか。
Dono gurai Nihon ni iki tai desu ka.
How long do you want to go to Japan for?
これはどのぐらいしますか。
Kore wa donogurai shi masu ka.
About how much is this?
NOTE: The second question is a colloquial yet polite way to ask about the cost of something.
Additional notes on how to use どうして (why) with たい
When using どうして (why) with the たい form in Japanese, the phrase often incorporates んですか instead of just ですか. This adjustment makes the sentence sound more natural and conversational. Essentially, んですか adds a nuance of seeking explanation or justification, which aligns well with the questioning nature of どうして.
For example, while the sentence どうして日本語（にほんご）を勉強（べんきょう）したいですか (Why do you want to study Japanese?) is grammatically correct, it sounds more formal and less fluid in casual conversation.
A more natural way to phrase this, especially in spoken Japanese, would be:
どうして日本語を勉強したいんですか。
Doushite Nihongo o benkyou shi tain desu ka.
NOTE: んですか indicates that you’re not simply asking a question but also seeking an explanation or more details about the desire to study Japanese. While this expression is a bit advanced and nuanced for beginners, it’s frequently used in conversation. It can be useful to recognise it, even if you’re not quite ready to use it fluently yet!
Exercise 1
