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たいです、たいと言っています、たがっています

languagetapes

後輩
22 Apr 2010
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0
11
I'm currently doing chapter 11 in Genki and have become stuck with a question.

The exercise is about stating what others want by a) quoting what they have said e.g けんさんは食べたいと言っていました, and b) stating what they seem to want to do e.g けんさんは食べたがっています.
It is suppose to be an exercise that you do with a partner and you ask them a question about what they want.

e.g
Q: 子供の時、何になりたかったですか。
A: 子供の時、作家になりたっかたです。

and then you're suppose to quote what they have said.

ニコールさんは作家になりたいと言っていました。

and then you're suppose to state what someone seems to want to do. Which, if you followed the normal grammar pattern, would be

ニコールさんは子供の時作家になりたがりました。

But how can one seemed to have done something when one was not there but only knows this because they have been told?

I do realise that Genki is essentially a textbook for learning grammar, so I'm not learning, what would I say, natural Japanese. But what can one say when they know someone 'wanted to do something' but does not want to quote someone. It says in Genki that " たいです sentences are not usually used to describe wishes held by others." Is this only true when one is speaking about what one wishes in the present. Can I say, "ニコールさんは子供の時作家になりたっかです。"

How does this work?
 
If you heard it from Nicole(or someone else), そうです is used.

ニコールさんは子供の時作家になりたかったそうです。
 
Great thanks!

I was just talking to a Japanese friend on Skype and they said they didn't understand why Genki says "たいです sentences are not usually used to describe wishes held by others."
Is this not true, or, because of his lack of English, did he not understand my question?
 
Yeah, the textbook is correct. ~たい usually can't be used for other's wishes. The guess/hearsay/interrogative form or like that is needed when using it.
e.g.
作家になりたいらしいです。
作家になりたいそうです。
作家になりたいですか?
 
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