てほしい
- 1I want someone else to do something; the person is usually marked with に.Ex. 2
- 2I hope a situation or event comes about; the thing that changes is marked with が.Ex. 1
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Used in both conversation and writing to state what the speaker wants others to do or hopes will happen. Unlike たい, which concerns the speaker's own action, てほしい concerns someone else's action or an outside event. Said directly to a listener, it works as a soft, indirect request, though ていただきたい is more appropriate toward superiors.
Learners sometimes mark the person who should act with を; use に (君に参加してほしい) or が (彼が来てほしい) instead.
Do not say てほしい directly to superiors, because it can sound demanding; use ていただきたい or ていただけませんか instead.
Note that a third person's wish is usually expressed with てほしがっている or てほしいと言っている rather than plain てほしい.
- てもらうN3「てもらう」 can describe help already received, and can also make a request as 「てもらえませんか」. When expressing a wish, 「てもらいたい」 is interchangeable with 「てほしい」 with a slightly softer tone, but it is not used for non-agentive events.
- てくださいN5「てください」 requests or instructs the listener to do something, and with 「どうぞ」 it can invite them to do something freely. It is directed only at the listener and cannot express wishes about non-agentive events like 「病気が治る」; when making a request, it is more direct than 「てほしい」.
- たいN5「たい」 attaches to the ます-stem and expresses the speaker's own desire to do something, and in questions can ask about the listener's wishes; 「てほしい」 attaches to the て-form and expresses the hope that someone else does something or that a situation turns out a certain way. Since the agent differs, they are not interchangeable.
- 〜ように言うN4「〜ように言う」 relays or issues instructions telling someone to do or not do something, attaching to the dictionary form or ない-form; 「てほしい」 directly expresses the speaker's own wish, attaches to the て-form, and can also apply to non-agentive situations. They are generally not interchangeable.
- なさいN4「なさい」 is a command from a superior to a subordinate or an exam instruction, attaching to the ます-stem; 「てほしい」 merely expresses a wish with a softer tone and can be used for non-agentive events such as an illness getting better, which 「なさい」 cannot.
Unlike たい (the speaker's own desire to act) and てもらう (stating that someone does or will do something for you as a fact or arrangement, e.g. 明日手伝ってもらう), てほしい only expresses a wish about someone else's action or an event. It is less direct than the request てください or the command なさい, while 〜ように言う reports a request or instruction rather than expressing the speaker's own wish.
