N451/179

がる

い-adjective + がるV-たがるV-たい + がる? (commonly V-たがる)

Meanings

  • to seem to feel
  • to appear to be doing/feeling
  • to want (for others)
  • to wish (for others)
  • to act as if (one feels)

About this pattern

Explanation

がる is used to talk about the feelings or desires of someone else from the speaker’s perspective. It conveys assumption or observation about another person’s internal state, not the speaker’s own. For verbs, use the た-form to indicate that someone else wants to do something (e.g., 行く → 行きたがる). For い-adjectives, attach がる to express that someone seems to feel that way (e.g., 悲しい → 悲しがる). It is less common to use がる with na-adjectives directly; sources typically use it with nouns via の? in practice you will mostly see it with i-adjectives and with the verb pattern 〜たがる. Note: the speaker’s own desires are not expressed with がる. Typical contexts include describing a third person’s emotions, reactions to situations, or apparent wishes in a narrative.

Learn in context

Example sentences

彼は寂しがっている。

He seems lonely.

彼女は新しい車を欲しがっている。

She seems to want a new car.

子どもはお菓子を欲しがっている。

The child seems to want candy.

彼は明日も休みたがっている。

He wants to take tomorrow off.