てほしい — Wanting Someone Else to Do Something
Expresses the speaker's desire for someone else to perform an action. Unlike 〜たい (I want to do it myself), 〜てほしい projects the desire outward onto another person.
Structure
[Person] に [Verb te-form] + ほしい
Examples
早く来てほしい。
Hayaku kite hoshii.
I want you to come quickly.
来て (come, te-form) + ほしい = I want (someone else) to come
先生に説明してほしいです。
Sensei ni setsumei shite hoshii desu.
I want the teacher to explain it.
先生に = target of the desire (marked with に) + 説明して + ほしい
そんなことを言わないでほしい。
Sonna koto o iwanaide hoshii.
I want you not to say such things.
言わないで (negative te-form) + ほしい = I want you NOT to say it
• Directness Warning: This is a fairly direct expression of desire. Toward superiors it can sound pushy; prefer 〜ていただけませんか (Could you please...). • Target Marker: The person you want the action from is marked with に. • Inanimate things: For things that can't act on request (I want the rain to stop), use 〜ように, not てほしい.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones てほしい is tested against.
vs 〜たい
たい = the speaker wants to do the action themselves (私が行きたい). てほしい = the speaker wants SOMEONE ELSE to do it (来てほしい).
vs 〜てもらいたい
Nearly the same meaning, but てもらいたい frames it through もらう (I want to receive the favor), so it can feel a touch more considerate/indirect than the blunt てほしい.
More expressions
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