# Xのほうがyより + たいです



## Ariander

I'm a little confused on whether it is possible to use "no houga... yori" (as in comparison) and "tai desu" (as in expressing a desire).
I was thinking an English sentence along the lines of: Today, I want to read more than I want to go out with friends.
The sensei said that it was possible, but I did not understand how it is constructed.
I tried this:
私は今日本をよむのほうが友だちと出かけるよりたいです。
But it looks very wrong to me.  Help would be very much appreciated!


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## Eso

I would phrase it as this:
今日は友達と遊ぶより本を読みたいです。

I'm not too sure about the のほうが。。。より　construction myself.


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## youtin

I'll try using the ほうが・・・より・・たい construction:

今日は読書のほうが遊びよりしたいです。

I made "read" into a noun - 読書 to accommodate the -tai form which will have to be a verb. I don't think it's correct to make it verb-verb (yomu...shitai)。-TAI can't exist by itself!

Although I think it's better that -yori comes before -hou.

Eso's translation is the simpler and more straightforward one.


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## Aoyama

Or rather :私は,今日,本を読むより友だちと出かけたい(です)。


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## Flaminius

Tu as raison, Ao! Yours is the most well-formed sentence in this context.

わたしは、XのほうがYより verb たいです
OR yet more naturally,
YよりXの方が verb たいです

This construction is in fact very valid when X and Y.
E.g., わたしは、みかんよりリンゴの方が食べたいです。
I'd like to eat apples more than I want to eat oranges.

However, if X and Y are subordinate clauses (verb plus object nouns and so on), this construction is not very fit for たい comparisons.

本を読むより、友達と出かける方がしたいです。
This is grammatically okay but a bit more awkward than Ao's contribution.


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## Eso

Aoyama said:


> Or rather :私は,今日,本を読むより友だちと出かけたい(です)。


 
Isn't that the opposite of what the original poster wanted?


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## I_like_my_TV

Eso said:
			
		

> Isn't that the opposite of what the original poster wanted?


True,　so here we are:
私は,今日,友だちと出かけるより本を読みたい(です)。

*Edit:*
Hi, I'm brand-new here so I don't seem to know how to quote properly (so as to get the form "Originally Posted by *XXX* "). What's wrong with the way I did it (as above), please?


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## Flaminius

Hello I_like_my_TV,

I fixed your quote by changing the tag to;
[GUOTE=Eso]xyz[/GUOTE]  (replace G with Q to make it work)

The tags behaviour is very strange since your [quote]xyz[/quote] is also supposed to work.  Please let me know if the symptom persists.

...and a big WELCOME to these forums!


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## Ariander

Thanks so much!  Yes, it is true I was trying to say "I want to read more than go out with friends" (thus having to put yori after the "going out with friends" rather than "read", as I understand)
Therefore, the "no houga" isn't really necessary? (also, would it be okay to use "no houga" and leave out yori in this case?  I'd infered from the sensei that it was more common to leave out "yori" than "no houga", though I don't know if she actually said that was true or I assumed it.)


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## I_like_my_TV

> I fixed your quote


Thank you, Flaminius! (I did check the spelling several times but didn't see the typo. Will get new glasses! )




			
				Ariander said:
			
		

> I'd infered from the sensei that it was more common to leave out "yori" than "no houga"


All rules come with contexts and restrictions. In your particular sentence, because of the _tai_-form in "読みたい",  "ほうが" is then not necessary. However, if you like to include it, try modifying the sentences a bit:

友だちと出かけるより本を読んだほうがいい(です)。
(Used when advising someone)

友だちと出かけるより本を読むほうがいい(です)。
(A general comment about which is a better activity)


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## Aoyama

> 私は今日本をよむのほうが友だちと出かけるよりたいです。


The phrase, though a bit awkward, seems to mean (to me) :
_Today, I'd rather go out with my friends than read a book_
which is what I tried to render with :
私は,今日,本を読むより友だちと出かけたい(です), respecting (as far as it could be done) the original elements of the initial phrase.
But then Ariander says : 





> Yes, it is true I was trying to say "I want to read more than go out with friends"


_Traduttore, traditore ..._


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## Ariander

aa, sumimasen, Aoyama, I definitely do not have a complete understanding of how yori and no houga work.
After some browsing on the web, I came to a web page that explained yori better than I had been taught....
Which I think explains why what I wrote in Japanese would seem to indicate that I'd wanted to say "I want to go out with friends more than I want to read." when in reality I was trying to say that "I want to read more than go out with friends."-- where I placed the yori, in this case, did mean (that I was trying to say) the former (I hope I am right on this!).


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## Aoyama

Right ...


> "I want to read more than go out with friends"


 


> [私は,]今日,友だちと出かけるより本を読みたい(です)。


 
is the correct answer given by I like my TV (私は can be omitted, a small detail)


> 友だちと出かけるより本を読んだほうがいい(です)。(1)
> (Used when advising someone)
> 
> 友だちと出かけるより本を読むほうがいい(です)。 (2)
> (A general comment about which is a better activity)


 
For sake of clarity :
1 = It would be better (for you) if you read books/a book instead of going out with (your) friends
2 = reading books is better (more profitable) than going out with friends

Keep learning !


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## Ariander

Ahh, thanks so much to everyone... this has helped me learn a lot  ^^b


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