# たい, たいと思う



## adexx

Hi everyone,

What is the difference between Vたい & Vたいと思う 
I often use them interchangeably without really thinking about it, but I guess there is a slight difference in nuance?
Somehow I feel it is a bit too direct to say Vたい(です), can anyone confirm?

Thanks


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## DaylightDelight

adexx said:


> Somehow I feel it is a bit too direct to say Vたい(です), can anyone confirm?


While it is true that たい sounds more direct than たいと思う, it does not necessarily mean that たい is *too* direct.
Use of たいと思う in place of たい is getting more and more common these days, but there are
also many people, including myself, who think that たいと思う is too roundabout/evasive and たい is often much more preferable.
Ultimately I think it's a matter of personal preference.


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## Flaminius

Vたいと思う in the polite form (たいと思います) is often used as a roundabout way of saying, "We shall do V."


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## adexx

Thank you.
I guess it is a matter of personal expression. By the way, in situations where you have to talk with your customers, bosses etc. is it wise to stick to たいと思います? Or is it too soft and, in some cases, might be looked down upon?
I've read quite a few articles saying that nowadays many Japanese people start to "dislike" the over-the-top politeness which can sometimes be thought as insincere...


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## DaylightDelight

adexx said:


> By the way, in situations where you have to talk with your customers, bosses etc. is it wise to stick to たいと思います?


As for myself, I'd use Vたいと思います to customers because extra politeness wouldn't hurt in such cases, and Vたいです or even more direct Vします to my bosses to show some motivation.


adexx said:


> I've read quite a few articles saying that nowadays many Japanese people start to "dislike" the over-the-top politeness which can sometimes be thought as insincere...


Yes, it's true in certain situations where certain degree of confidence and sincerity is expected, such as politician's speech.
You wouldn't have to worry too much in everyday conversation.


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## frequency

adexx said:


> s it wise to stick to たいと思います? Or is it too soft and, in some cases, might be looked down upon?


Good. For example, don't say 電話したい。 to your customer. I guess you think that it sounds too short. To me, it does too. Don't gamble, say 電話したいと思います。
You can say しようと思う、しようと思います, too.



> I've read quite a few articles saying that nowadays many Japanese people start to "dislike" the over-the-top politeness which can sometimes be thought as insincere...


Don't be rude to your customers. You have to be careful about how to say to them. To your boss, you can be less careful but if he or she is delicate, you may need to be a bit more careful about it.


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## SoLaTiDoberman

adexx said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> What is the difference between Vたい & Vたいと思う
> I often use them interchangeably without really thinking about it, but I guess there is a slight difference in nuance?
> Somehow I feel it is a bit too direct to say Vたい(です), can anyone confirm?
> 
> Thanks


私は日本に*行きたい*。私は日本に*行きたいです*。I *want to* *go* to Japan.
私は日本に*行きたいと思う*。私は日本に*行きたいと思います*。I'*d like to go* to Japan.
It depends on the situation, but generally speaking, I agree with you that "want" is more direct than "would like to" which is a little more indirect and modest.
The meaning is more or less the same, except the case of #3.
I don't think "want" is *too direct* in many cases though.


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## SoLaTiDoberman

Okay, I have a different viewpoint now.
私はベトナムへ行きたい。 is a plane form, which is not polite, though it is a quite natural Japanese sentence.
In order to make it politer, the first thing we think to use is です・ます form, right?

However, 私はベトナムへ行きたいです。may have a problem. It may sound a little childish, or a little awkward.
Primary school students or junior high school students (6 - 15 year-old Japanese kids ) tend to say such an expression.　（子供が書いた作文みたいだ、と感じる。）
When they become old enough to be a sophisticated speaker of Japanese, they use different expressions such as 私はベトナムへ行きたいと思っています。or 私はベトナムに行ってみたいと思います。

In other words, V-たい+です is a less sophisticated expression in the Japanese language. I don't think it's a matter of politeness, but it's more like a matter of sophistication.


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## adexx

SoLaTiDoberman said:


> When they become old enough to be a sophisticated speaker of Japanese, they use different expressions such as 私はベトナムへ行きたいと思っています。or 私はベトナムに行ってみたいと思います。



Thanks for the insight. Sometimes I feel 行きたいです seems too short and abrupt too, but being a foreigner I'm not sure how it sounds to the Japanese ears...


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