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Study in the app →Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 37
きっぷが ほしいです I want a ticket
Shopping and asking for things in the city. Vocabulary: kippu, chizu, kasa, kōhī, okane, menyū, chotto, zenbu de, hoshii, onegaishimasu. Key grammar: to say you want a thing, use "N ga hoshii desu". "Hoshii" is an i-adjective and takes "ga" (just like "suki desu" in chapter 27): "mizu ga hoshii desu" (I want water). Chapter 21's "…tai desu" attaches to a verb ("mizu ga nomitai desu"), while "hoshii" attaches to a noun. To ask politely in a shop or station, "…o onegaishimasu" and "…o kudasai" are handy. English speakers, thinking of "I want ~", tend to use "o": "kippu o hoshii desu" ✗ → "kippu ga hoshii desu" ✓. Culture corner: city life in Japan (§5).
Dialogue
きっぷを ほしい / きっぷが ほしい — kippu o hoshii / kippu ga hoshii
- Yuki マイクさん、えきに つきました。なにが いりますか？ Mike, we've reached the station. What do you need?
- Mike とうきょうまでの きっぷを ほしいです。 I want a ticket to Tokyo. (slip: "hoshii" takes "ga", not "o" → kippu ga hoshii desu)
- Yuki 「ほしい」は「が」を つかいます、「すきです」と おなじです：「きっぷが ほしいです」。 "Hoshii" uses "ga", just like "suki desu": "kippu ga hoshii desu".
- Mike なるほど。とうきょうまでの きっぷが ほしいです。まどぐちで たのみます。 I see. I want a ticket to Tokyo. I'll ask at the window.
- Mike すみません、とうきょうまでの きっぷを おねがいします。 Excuse me, a ticket to Tokyo, please.
- Yuki じょうずですね！「〜を おねがいします」は みせでも えきでも つかえます。 Well done! "…o onegaishimasu" works in both shops and stations.
Dialogue
カフェで — At the café
- Ken ユキさん、なにが ほしいですか？ Yuki, what would you like?
- Yuki コーヒーが ほしいです。ケンさんは？ I want a coffee. And you, Ken?
- Ken ぼくは おちゃが いいです。メニューを ください。 I'd prefer tea. Could I have the menu?
- Yuki すみません、コーヒーを ひとつと おちゃを ひとつ おねがいします。 Excuse me, one coffee and one tea, please.
- Ken ありがとう。ぜんぶで いくらですか？ Thanks. How much is it in total?
- Yuki ろっぴゃくえんです。わたしが はらいます。つぎは ケンさん、おねがいしますね。 Six hundred yen. I'll pay. Next time it's on you, Ken.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| きっぷ | kippu | n. | ticket |
| ちず | chizu | n. | map |
| かさ | kasa | n. | umbrella |
| コーヒー | kōhī | n. | coffee |
| おかね | okane | n. | money |
| メニュー | menyū | n. | menu |
| ちょっと | chotto | adv. | a little; excuse me |
| ぜんぶで | zenbu de | expr. | in total |
| ほしい | hoshii | i-adj. | to want (a thing) |
| おねがいします | onegaishimasu | expr. | please; I'd like |
Grammar
〜が ほしいです と「おねがいします」 …ga hoshii desu and "onegaishimasu"
ものが ほしい とき、「N が ほしいです」と いいます。「ほしい」は い-けいようしで、たいしょうには「を」では なく「が」を つかいます（ch27「すきです」と おなじ ルール）：「あたらしい かさが ほしいです」「みずが ほしいです」。ひていは「〜は ほしくないです」：「コーヒーは ほしくないです」。ちゅうい：ch21で ならった「〜たいです」は どうしに つきます（「みずが のみたいです」＝のむ こと）。「ほしい」は めいしに つきます（「みずが ほしいです」＝みず そのもの）。みせや えき、レストランで ていねいに たのむ ときは、「N を おねがいします」（ください より やわらかい）や「N を ください」（ch19）が べんりです：「コーヒーを おねがいします」。えいごの ひとは「I want a ticket」の かんじで「を」を つかいがちです：「きっぷを ほしいです」✗ →「きっぷが ほしいです」✓。
To say you want a thing, use "N ga hoshii desu". "Hoshii" is an i-adjective, and the thing you want takes "ga", not "o" (the same rule as "suki desu" in chapter 27): "atarashii kasa ga hoshii desu" (I want a new umbrella), "mizu ga hoshii desu" (I want water). The negative is "…wa hoshiku nai desu": "kōhī wa hoshiku nai desu" (I don't want coffee). Note: "…tai desu" from chapter 21 attaches to a verb ("mizu ga nomitai desu" = to drink water), while "hoshii" attaches to a noun ("mizu ga hoshii desu" = water itself). To ask politely in a shop, station or restaurant, "N o onegaishimasu" (softer than kudasai) and "N o kudasai" (chapter 19) are handy: "kōhī o onegaishimasu" (coffee, please). English speakers, thinking of "I want a ticket", tend to use "o": "kippu o hoshii desu" ✗ → "kippu ga hoshii desu" ✓.
- あたらしい かさが ほしいです。 Atarashii kasa ga hoshii desu. I want a new umbrella.
- コーヒーは ほしくないです。おちゃが ほしいです。 Kōhī wa hoshiku nai desu. Ocha ga hoshii desu. I don't want coffee. I want tea.
- えきで きっぷを おねがいします。 Eki de kippu o onegaishimasu. A ticket, please, at the station.
- ちずが ほしいです。ぜんぶで いくらですか？ Chizu ga hoshii desu. Zenbu de ikura desu ka? I want a map. How much is it in total?
Culture
にほんの まちの せいかつ City life in Japan
A Japanese city moves around its train stations. Trains are extremely punctual, and people wait in neat lines. When you want help in town, if you call out "sumimasen" (excuse me), most people will kindly help you.
Stations and trains
In big cities everyone gets around by train or subway. Instead of buying paper tickets, many people use an "IC card" (Suica or PASMO): you just tap at the gate to ride. Stations have shops and toilets inside, like a small world of their own. On the platform, people wait in an orderly line behind the white line.
Convenience stores and shops
A "konbini" (convenience store) is everywhere in town and open all day. You can do almost anything — food, drinks, tickets, even withdrawing money. When you shop, the clerk says "irasshaimase" (welcome). You often place your money on a small tray. Being able to say "…o onegaishimasu" (…, please) and "…wa arimasu ka" (do you have …?) makes shopping much easier.
Courtesy in town
In town, quietness is valued. On the train people do not talk on the phone; they text instead. You do not smoke while walking or drop litter. When you ask someone for something, you begin with "sumimasen" and end with "arigatō gozaimasu" (thank you). These few words soften the space between you and a stranger.
A Japanese city is quiet, precise and kind. With just three phrases — "sumimasen", "…o onegaishimasu" and "arigatō gozaimasu" — you can walk with confidence at the station, in a shop or on the street.
kana
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