がほしい

ほしい means "want" when what you want is a thing. The thing takes が, and the person who wants it, usually you, takes は or is left out. Add です to make it polite.

English makes the thing an object, which pulls learners towards を.

• × 車をほしいです → 車がほしいです

ほしい or たい

ほしい takes a noun. To want to do something, put たい on the verb's ます-stem instead.

• × 車を買うがほしい → 車を買いたい

Other people's wants

ほしい states your own feeling, so a plain statement with it is about you. You can ask someone else with it, but to report what a third person wants, use ほしがっている, which takes を, or quote them with ほしいといっている言っている.

• × 妹は新しい靴がほしいです → 妹は新しい靴をほしがっています

Usage notes

These go beyond the present affirmative.

Negative and past

ほしい is an い-adjective: ほしくない, ほしかった, ほしくなかった, each with です for the polite form.

In the negative, が often becomes は: おさけお酒はほしくないです.

Wanting someone to do something

After a て-form, ほしい means "I want you to do it", and the person you want it from takes に. This is a separate grammar point, 〜てほしい.