Page 349 - Basic Japanese

verbs (tabe, ne, mi) and in -i for consonant verbs (kaeri,

hanashi, oyogi, kaki) and irregular verbs (ki, shi). To this
infinitive form you add the ending -tai. The resulting form is

called a “desiderative” or “desiderative adjective,” because

it means something is desired to be done.
The final -i of the ending -tai is itself, of course, the

regular adjective ending for the plain imperfect. A
desiderative adjective is inflected just like any other

adjective. Compare a regular adjective (e.g. takai
‘expensive’) with desiderative adjectives with a verb (e.g.

taberu ‘eats,’ and yomu ‘reads’):

The understood object can be marked either by ga or o,

although there is a slight difference in meaning. Compare
the two sentences below:

ラーメンを食べたいです。

Rāmen o tabetai desu.

I want to eat ramen noodles.

ラーメンが食べたいです。

Rāmen ga tabetai desu.