I'd so love to: 〜たいものだ・〜てほしいものだ
Verb (stem) + たいものだ ; Verb-て + ほしいものだ
〜たいものだ / 〜てほしいものだ: a deep, long-held or general wish, for yourself or for others. Measured tone, rather written or for speeches; not for a passing want.
In short
Adding ものだ to たい or てほしい turns a want into a deep, long-held, often general wish: “I'd so love to…”, “if only…”. It's not a passing desire, but a hope you've carried for a long time or address to society. The tone is measured, a little solemn: speeches, essays, serious conversation.
- 一度はゆっくり世界を旅してみたいものだ。いちどはゆっくりせかいをたびしてみたいものだ。I'd so love to travel round the world at a leisurely pace at least once.
- 平和な時代がいつまでも続いてほしいものだ。へいわなじだいがいつまでもつづいてほしいものだ。If only this era of peace would last for ever.
- 将来は自分の店を持ちたいものです。しょうらいはじぶんのみせをもちたいものです。In the future, I'd really love to have my own shop.
The basics
ものだ is “the way of things”. Attached to たい or てほしい, it gives the desire a broader, deeper scope: it's no longer “I want”, it's “this is what I truly wish for, and have for a long time”. You often hear a sigh or an emotion in it.
It's used for life plans (旅行したい, 店を持ちたい), wishes for others or for society (平和が続いてほしい), or wishes tinged with reproach (もう少し静かにしてほしいものだ).
I'd so love to travel at a leisurely pace at least once.
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- いつか名古屋城の桜を、家族と見たいものだ。いつかなごやじょうのさくらを、かぞくとみたいものだ。One day, I'd so love to see the cherry blossom at Nagoya Castle with my family.
How to form it
Two bases: 〜たい for your own wish, 〜てほしい for what you wish from others or the world. Add ものだ, or ものです to be polite. 〜てもらいたいものだ is a slightly more insistent variant.
| Base | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (stem) | 〜たいものだ | 行ってみたいものだ |
| Verb-て | 〜てほしいものだ | 続いてほしいものだ |
| Verb-て | 〜てもらいたいものだ | 考えてもらいたいものだ |
| Polite | 〜たいものです | お会いしたいものです |
- 子どもたちには、自然の中で元気に育ってほしいものです。こどもたちには、しぜんのなかでげんきにそだってほしいものです。I'd so love children to grow up healthy, surrounded by nature.
- 政治家には、もっと国民の声を聞いてもらいたいものだ。せいじかには、もっとこくみんのこえをきいてもらいたいものだ。It would be nice if politicians listened more to the public.
A hope, not a passing want
For an immediate need, ものだ sounds wrong: you just say 水が飲みたい. たいものだ is for things that are distant, difficult or general. And with てほしいものだ aimed at someone specific, a veiled reproach often creeps in: “it would be nice if…”.
- 隣の人には、夜はもう少し静かにしてほしいものだ。となりのひとには、よるはもうすこししずかにしてほしいものだ。I'd quite like my neighbour to make a bit less noise at night. (veiled reproach)
The other ものだ
ものだ has other uses, seen at N3. After a past-tense verb, it recalls a habit (よく遊んだものだ, “I used to play a lot”). After the dictionary form, it states a general truth or gives advice (人の話は最後まで聞くものだ, “you should hear people out”). The verb form before ものだ makes the difference.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜たいものだ | deep wish | 行ってみたいものだ |
| 〜たものだ | remembered habit | よく遊んだものだ |
| 〜るものだ | general truth, advice | 人の話は聞くものだ |
- 子どものころは、よく近所の川で遊んだものだ。こどものころは、よくきんじょのかわであそんだものだ。As a child, I often used to play in the river near home. (memory)
Common mistakes
- Using it for an immediate want (×水が飲みたいものだ): for a passing desire, たい is enough.
- Mixing up 〜たいものだ (wish) and 〜たものだ (memory: “I used to”).
- Aiming 〜てほしいものだ at someone without thinking: it sounds like a veiled reproach.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Kintetsu Nagoya Line (Rites and daily life) of the Nagoya lines.