JLPT N5 Lesson 10: Wanting and Planning

Overview

In this lesson, we move beyond simple descriptions and start expressing our personal desires and future plans. Understanding how to communicate what you want to do and what you intend to do is a critical milestone for any N5 learner, as it allows you to engage in meaningful conversations about your life, travel, and daily activities.

We will build upon your knowledge of verb conjugations to introduce the "want to" form (~たい) and the "intention" form (~つもり). These patterns are essential for navigating social interactions in Japan, whether you are ordering food, making plans with friends, or discussing your study goals. Mastering these will bridge the gap between basic survival Japanese and conversational fluency.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Express personal desires using the ~たい form.
• Make suggestions and invitations using ~ましょう and ~ましょうか.
• Clearly state your future intentions using ~つもりです.
• Use ~と思います to express your personal opinions and thoughts.
• Understand the nuance of polite requests using ~てください.

New Vocabulary

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English	Part of Speech
食べたい	たべたい	tabetai	want to eat	Verb
行きたい	いきたい	ikitai	want to go	Verb
飲みます	のみます	nomimasu	to drink	Verb
計画	けいかく	keikaku	plan	Noun
予定	よてい	yotei	schedule/plan	Noun
つもり	つもり	tsumori	intention	Noun
これから	これから	korekara	from now on	Adverb
あとで	あとで	atode	later	Adverb
そのうち	そのうち	sonouchi	eventually	Adverb
休みます	やすみます	yasumimasu	to rest/take a break	Verb
勉強	べんきょう	benkyou	study	Noun
映画	えいが	eiga	movie	Noun
一緒に	いっしょに	issho ni	together	Adverb
買い物	かいもの	kaimono	shopping	Noun
考える	かんがえる	kangaeru	to think	Verb

Grammar Points

1. Expressing Desire: 〜たい (~tai)

Structure: Verb-stem + たい

The ~たい form is used to express what you want to do. To form it, take the masu-stem of a verb (the part before "masu") and add "tai." Note that ~たい acts like an i-adjective; it conjugates accordingly (e.g., ~たくない for negative).

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
寿司を食べたいです	すしをたべたいです	sushi o tabetai desu	I want to eat sushi.
日本へ行きたいです	にほんへいきたいです	nihon e ikitai desu	I want to go to Japan.
水を飲みたくないです	みずをのみたくないです	mizu o nomitakunai desu	I don't want to drink water.
何をしたいですか	なにをしたいですか	nani o shitai desu ka	What do you want to do?

Common mistake: ❌ 食べますたい → ✓ 食べたい — You must remove the "masu" before adding "tai."

2. Invitations and Suggestions: 〜ましょう (~mashou) & 〜ましょうか (~mashou ka)

Structure: Verb-stem + ましょう / ましょうか

Use ~ましょう to suggest doing something together ("Let's..."). Use ~ましょうか when offering to do something for someone else or suggesting an action ("Shall we...?").

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
映画を見ましょう	えいがをみましょう	eiga o mimashou	Let's watch a movie.
明日行きましょうか	あしたにいきましょうか	ashita ni ikimashou ka	Shall we go tomorrow?
手伝いましょうか	てつだいましょうか	tetsudaimashou ka	Shall I help you?
休みましょう	やすみましょう	yasumimashou	Let's take a break.

Common mistake: ❌ 行きますましょう → ✓ 行きましょう — "Masu" is dropped before adding "mashou."

3. Intentions: 〜つもりです (~tsumori desu)

Structure: Verb (dictionary form) + つもりです

This expresses a firm intention or plan. It is stronger than just "thinking" about doing something.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
日本語を勉強するつもりです	にほんごをべんきょうするつもりです	nihongo o benkyou suru tsumori desu	I intend to study Japanese.
買い物に行くつもりです	かいものにいくつもりです	kaimono ni iku tsumori desu	I plan to go shopping.

Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Planning the Weekend

Tanaka: 佐藤さん、週末は何をしますか。(Satou-san, shuumatsu wa nani o shimasu ka? / Satou, what are you doing this weekend?) Satou: 映画を見たいです。田中さんも一緒に見ませんか。(Eiga o mitai desu. Tanaka-san mo issho ni mimasen ka? / I want to see a movie. Won't you watch with me, Tanaka?) Tanaka: いいですね。何を見ましょうか。(Ii desu ne. Nani o mimashou ka? / That sounds good. What shall we watch?) Satou: アクション映画はどうですか。(Akushon eiga wa dou desu ka? / How about an action movie?) Tanaka: いいですよ。あとでチケットを買います。(Ii desu yo. Atode chiketto o kaimasu. / That's fine. I will buy the tickets later.)

Dialogue 2: Future Goals

Teacher: これから何をしますか。(Korekara nani o shimasu ka? / What will you do from now on?) Student: 日本で働くつもりです。(Nihon de hataraku tsumori desu. / I intend to work in Japan.) Teacher: それはいいですね。日本語を勉強しますか。(Sore wa ii desu ne. Nihongo o benkyou shimasu ka? / That's great. Will you study Japanese?) Student: はい、毎日勉強するつもりです。(Hai, mainichi benkyou suru tsumori desu. / Yes, I intend to study every day.) Teacher: 頑張ってください。(Ganbatte kudasai. / Please do your best.)

Grammar Drills

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank

1. 私は日本へ（　　　）たいです。(行)
2. 一緒に昼ご飯を（　　　）ましょう。(食べ)
3. 窓を（　　　）てください。(開け)
4. 明日、友達と会う（　　　）です。(つもり)
5. 何か（　　　）ましょうか。(飲み)

Answer Key: 1. 行き 2. 食べ 3. 開け 4. つもり 5. 飲み

Translation Practice

English → Japanese

1. I want to go to the park.
2. Let's study together.
3. Shall I open the door?
4. I intend to go to Japan next year.
5. Please read this book.

Japanese → English 6. 私は寿司を食べたいです。 7. 明日、映画を見ましょう。 8. 買い物に行くつもりです。 9. ここで待ってください。 10. 何か飲みましょうか。

Answer Key: 1. 公園に行きたいです。 2. 一緒に勉強しましょう。 3. ドアを開けましょうか。 4. 来年、日本へ行くつもりです。 5. この本を読んでください。 6. I want to eat sushi. 7. Let's watch a movie tomorrow. 8. I intend to go shopping. 9. Please wait here. 10. Shall we drink something?

Cultural Note

In Japan, expressing direct desires or plans can sometimes be softened to maintain social harmony (wa). While ~たい is grammatically correct, using it too aggressively can sound demanding. Often, Japanese speakers will use "～たいと思っています" (I am thinking that I want to...) to sound more humble and less pushy.

Additionally, when making plans, the phrase "そのうち" (eventually/sometime) is frequently used. It is a polite way to avoid giving a firm "no" to an invitation without committing to a specific time, reflecting the Japanese cultural preference for indirect communication.

Self-Check

1. What is the difference between ~たい and ~つもりです?
2. How do you conjugate a verb to make it a suggestion?
3. Why do we remove "masu" before adding "tai"?
4. Translate: "I want to drink coffee."
5. How would you politely ask a friend to help you with homework?