N442/160

たがる

Verb (masu-stem) + たがるVerb (masu-stem) + たがっているVerb (masu-stem) + たがらないVerb (masu-stem) + たがった

Meanings

  • to want to (third person)
  • to seem to want to
  • shows someone else’s desire (inference)

About this pattern

Explanation

たがる is used when talking about someone else’s wishes or desires, not your own. It attaches to the stem of a verb (theます-stem) to indicate that another person wants to do something, often based on observation or inference. It’s common in narratives, casual conversation about others, or when you’re reporting someone’s interests. Conjugation follows normal verb patterns: present/future たがる, continuous たがっている, negation たがらない, past たがった. For your own desires, use たい rather than たがる.