How did 入りたかった came about?

[seasurfer]

Does anyone here know how does 入りたかった come about?

I mean the original word is 入る、so。。。it can becomes,

入ります、入って、入らない、入らなかった。


then how does 入りたかった come about? can someone explain the grammatical reason behind this, thank you.

the original sentence is:

一番入りたかった大学に合格できませんでした。

 

[Mike Cash]

Past tense of "want to enter"

入る enter
入りたい want to enter
入りたかった wanted to enter

It is used to modify the following noun in the example you gave. This construction is, in terms of function, akin to relative pronoun clauses in English.

Examples:

乗りたい電車 (noritai densha) (The train which I want to ride)
見た映画 (mita eiga) (The movie which I saw)
見ていた映画 (mite ita eiga) (The movie which I was watching)

A very simple and extremely useful construction. Learning it will do wonders for broadening the range of ideas you are able to express in Japanese.

 

[seasurfer]

I can't see the reply?

 

[Mike Cash]

Take that up with someone else. And be more specific.

 

[Elizabeth]

一番入りたかった大学に合格できませんでした。

On the off chance is from Japanese For Busy People (if not you might want to check out an identical example) an explanation of the noun modifying pattern occurs in Lesson 7 Vol. 2. ☝

 

[seasurfer]

mikecash and Elizabeth, thanks a lot .