Breakdown of watasi ha tomodati ni aitai desu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
私watasi
I
友達tomodati
friend
にni
indirect object particle
〜たい〜tai
to want to
会うau
to meet
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha tomodati ni aitai desu.
Why is は used after 私?
は is the topic marker. It signals that 私 (“I”) is what the sentence is about. In English it’s like saying “As for me, ….” In casual speech you can drop は if it’s clear who you’re talking about.
What does に do in 友達に?
に marks the target or “recipient” of the action. With 会う (“to meet”), the person you’re meeting takes に (“meet someone”), so 友達に means “to (a) friend.”
Why is 会う changed to 会いたい?
The suffix たい attaches to the verb stem (会- from 会う) to express desire. So 会いたい literally means “(I) want to meet.”
Is 会いたい a verb?
No—会いたい behaves like an i-adjective. You can conjugate it like one:
- 会いたくない (“don’t want to meet”)
- 会いたかった (“wanted to meet”)
Why is です added at the end?
Adding です makes the i-adjective polite. So 会いたいです is a polite way to say “I want to meet (you/my friend).” In informal speech you’d drop です.
Can I omit 私 or です?
Yes. In everyday casual Japanese, you often omit 私 if it’s clear who’s speaking. You can also drop です and just say 友達に会いたい among friends.
Does 友達 mean “friend” or “friends”?
Japanese nouns don’t change for singular or plural. 友達 can mean one friend or multiple friends—context tells you which.
Why not use を with 会う, like 友達を会いたい?
Because 会う isn’t a transitive action on an object; you’re meeting someone, not acting on them. Verbs of meeting or visiting take に for the person/place, so 友達に会いたい is correct.