てほしい【～てほしい】

てほしい means "I want someone to do something": the て-form of a verb plus ほしい. The person you want to do it takes に.

てほしい or たい

たい is for what you want to do yourself. When someone else is to do it, the verb goes into the て-form and takes ほしい.

• × 田中さんに行きたい → 田中さんに行ってほしい

Not doing something

There are two negatives. ないでほしい – the ない-form plus で – wants the person not to do it, and is the usual way to ask. てほしくないnegates the wanting, and sounds firmer.

Usage notes

These go beyond wanting a person to do something now.

Wishes about things

When what you want is not a person's action – the weather, the season – the subject takes が.

Past: てほしかった

てほしかった is a regret: you wanted it and it didn't happen.

Who wants it

Like ほしい, てほしい speaks for the speaker, or asks the listener. For a third person, report it: てほしいといっている言っている or てほしがっている.

Register

To a superior, てほしい is too blunt. Use ていただきたい, or ask with ていただけませんか.