私 は 友達 の 意見 を 聞きたい です。watasi ha tomodati no iken wo kikitai desu.
I want to hear my friend's opinion.
Breakdown of watasi ha tomodati no iken wo kikitai desu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
友達tomodati
friend
のno
possessive case particle
〜たい〜tai
to want to
聞くkiku
to hear
意見iken
opinion
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha tomodati no iken wo kikitai desu.
Why is 私 followed by は in this sentence? Do we have to include it?
は is the topic marker. It tells us “as for me…”. In Japanese you often omit the topic if it’s clear from context, so you could just say 友達の意見を聞きたいです, but including 私 emphasises that it’s you who wants to hear.
What does 友達の意見 mean, and why do we use の between 友達 and 意見?
友達の意見 literally means friend’s opinion. The particle の indicates possession (or a close relationship) between 友達 (“friend”) and 意見 (“opinion”).
Why is the particle を used before 聞きたい? I thought “ask someone” used に.
It comes down to what you’re marking as the object. 聞く can mean “listen to” or “ask for,” so the thing you hear or ask for is marked with を. Here you want to hear (ask for) the 意見, so it’s 意見を聞きたい. If you wanted to say “ask the friend” (the person), you’d use 友達に聞く.
What kind of form is 聞きたい?
聞きたい is the ～たい form of the verb 聞く. You take the verb stem (聞き-) and add たい to express desire (“want to hear”). Grammatically it behaves like an i-adjective.
Why is there a です after 聞きたい? Can I drop it?
Since the ～たい form functions like an i-adjective, you add です to make it polite (聞きたいです). In casual speech you can drop です and simply say 聞きたい.
Could I say 友達に意見を聞きたいです instead of 友達の意見を聞きたいです? What’s the nuance?
Yes.
- 友達の意見を聞きたいです focuses on whose opinion (“my friend’s opinion”).
- 友達に意見を聞きたいです focuses on to whom you direct your question (“I want to ask a friend”).
The overall meaning is almost the same; you’re just shifting the emphasis slightly.
What’s the difference between 聞きたいです and 聞いてみたいです?
- 聞きたいです means “I want to hear/ask.”
- 聞いてみたいです uses the ～てみる construction (“try doing something”), so it implies “I’d like to give it a try to hear/ask,” adding a sense of tentative curiosity rather than a straightforward desire.