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Conjugating the Verb : Talking about Your Ambitions in Japanese :The previous year has come to a close, and we have entered a new decade. Will our lives continue in the same vein as they did in the 2010s, or is it time to turn over a new leaf? I sure hope it’s the latter! Today, we’re going to learn how to talk about our aspirations and ambitions as we enter this new revolutionary era: the roaring 2020s!    

Conjugating the Verb into the -Masu Form

Before we get into our aspirations and ambitions, we must first learn how to say what we want to do. Expressing what we want to do is accomplished by using the -tai form. The first step In creating the -tai form is conjugating the verb into the formal –masu form. 

Conjugating the verb into the -masu form depends on the type of verb you’re using. With U-verbs, you take the last hiragana character (which ends in a U sound) and turn it into an I sound. Once you’ve turned it into an I sound, simply attach “masu” to the end. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

U-Verbs

With Ru-verbs, the last character will be a る (ru) character. In order to change Ru-verbs into the -masu form, you simply remove the “ru” and replace it with “masu.” Here are some examples.

Ru-Verbs

And here are the irregular verbs suru (to do) and kuru (to come). These verbs abide by their own rules.

Irregular Verbs

Expressing What You Want to Do By Changing the –Masu Form into the –Tai Form

Now that we have successfully changed a few verbs into the -masu form, the next step is to change them into the -tai form to express what we want to do. To change verbs from the –masu form into the –tai form, you simply remove the ます (masu) part and replace it with the auxiliary adjective たい (tai). Let’s look at some examples.

Now that we have learned how to conjugate verbs into the -tai form, let’s make some simple sentences that express what we want to do.

Adding ように for Longer-term Goals

Now that we know how to say what we want to do, let’s add a bit of nuance to our ambitions and aspirations. In order to convey that what we want to achieve involves a long process or commitment, we use the formula below:

Verb (potential form) + ように (you ni) + verb (-tai form).

Therefore, if your ambition is to be able to write 1,000 kanji, you can say it like this:

私は漢字が1000文字を書けるようになりたい

Watashi wa kanji ga issen moji wo kakeru you ni naritai.

I want to (reach the point where I can) write 1,000 kanji.

And if you aspire to really be able to shred on the guitar with confidence, you can say it like this:

私はギターが弾けるようになりたい。

Watashi wa gitaa ga hikeru you ni naritai.

I want to (reach the point where I can) play the guitar.

And, of course, everyone reading this aspires to be a great Japanese speaker!

私は日本語が話せるようになりたい。

Watashi wa nihongo ga hanaseru you ni naritai.

I want to (reach the point where I can) speak Japanese.

Summary

Now that you’ve learned how to express your ambitions and aspirations, it’s time to get out there and practice! Do you aspire to be a fluent Japanese speaker and live in Japan? Is your ambition to be able to draw pictures as well as Hayao Miyazaki? Discuss with your Japanese speaking partner all of the things that you want to do this coming year—even if it’s just grabbing a bite to eat for lunch for starters.

Ring in the new era of the 2020s by getting out there and practicing, practicing, practicing! 

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