Lesson 91: 寒がる・知りたがる

N4 · Lesson 91 · 17 min — Talking about other people's feelings and wishes: (he) feels cold, (he) really wants to go

Last lesson looked back on one year in Japan. You can already say "I'm cold," "I want it," and "I want to go." But when you talk about someone else, Japanese uses a different form. Why? You can't see inside another person's heart. You can only see how they look and act. Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use 〜がる for other people's feelings: くまたは 寒さむがって います (Kumata is showing that he's cold)
• Use 〜たがる for what other people want to do: みんな 知しりたがって います (everyone really wants to know)
• Know the difference: for yourself, use 寒さむい・ほしい・〜たい. For other people, use がる・たがる

The Owner Who Doesn't Want to Talk

One year in Japan. The photo was taken at くまや, but Mr. Kuma won't say a word. (別べつの = another; おかわり = a second helping)

Use 〜がる for another person's feelings and 〜たがる for what they want to do. In panel 4, Rin sees Neko-sensei holding up an empty bowl and says he "ほしがって います". When you can see it in how someone acts, use がる. This is a joke between friends. Avoid it when you speak formally in front of someone older or senior. Mr. Kuma finally starts to talk. Next lesson, he tells the story from forty years ago.

Words for this lesson: other people's feelings

• 寒さむがる (samugaru): (someone) shows they feel cold
• こわい (kowai): scary; (I) am scared
• こわがる (kowagaru): (someone) is afraid
• いや (iya): unwilling, dislike (na-adjective)
• いやがる (iyagaru): (someone) is unwilling, shows dislike
• ほしがる (hoshigaru): (someone) really wants it
• 知しりたがる (shiritagaru): (someone) really wants to know
• 話はなし (hanashi): a topic, a story, something to talk about
• 別べつの (betsu no): another, different
• 前まえは (mae wa): before, in the past (it was ~)
• おかわり (okawari): a second helping, a refill
• 店長てんちょう (tenchō): shop manager, shop owner
• 子こども (kodomo): child

Grammar 1 / 2: 〜がる

Feeling adjective, drop い + がる = (someone) feels ~, looks ~: 寒さむい → 寒さむがる

• How to make it: feeling adjective, drop い + がる: Only adjectives for feelings and sensations can take がる (寒さむい・暑あつい・こわい・ほしい・いたい). Adjectives that describe things, like 大おおきい or 高たかい, cannot. For i-adjectives, drop い: 寒さむい→寒さむがる, 暑あつい→暑あつがる, こわい→こわがる, ほしい→ほしがる. A few na-adjectives for feelings take it directly: いや→いやがる.
• Why add がる?: 寒さむい・こわい・ほしい describe a feeling inside you, and only that person knows it. When you talk about someone else, you only see how they look and act: shivering, hiding, staring. So you use がる, which means "shows signs of ~."
• がる becomes a Group 1 verb: 寒さむがります・寒さむがって います・寒さむがらない・寒さむがりません. For what is happening right in front of you, use 〜がって います. For what someone is like in general, use 〜がります.
• The object takes を: With the adjective, the object takes が: 犬いぬが こわい, ケーキが ほしい. Once you add がる it becomes a verb, so the object takes を: 犬いぬを こわがる, ケーキを ほしがる.

• 子こどもが 寒さむがって います。 — The child is showing that they are cold.
• くまたは 夏なつは いつも 暑あつがって います。 — Kumata always says he's hot in summer.
• 犬いぬが 大おおきい 音おとを こわがって います。 — The dog is afraid of loud noises.
• 妹いもうとは 新あたらしい スマホを ほしがって います。 — My little sister really wants a new phone.
• 子こどもが 薬くすりを いやがって、飲のみません。 — The child hates medicine and won't take it.

Grammar 2 / 2: 〜たがる

Masu-form stem + たがる = (someone) wants to ~: 知しります → 知しりたがる (change the い of たい to がる)

• How to make it: masu-form stem + たがる: It attaches just like 〜たい. Only the い changes to がる: 行いきます→行いきたがる, 食たべます→食たべたがる, します→したがる, 来きます→来きたがる.
• It conjugates like a Group 1 verb: たがります・たがって います・たがらない・たがりません・たがって いました. For what you see right now, use 〜たがって います. For habits and personality, use 〜たがります: 子こどもは 外そとに 行いきたがります.
• The object takes only を: With 〜たい, you can use を or が (すしが 食たべたい). With たがる, only を works: 妹いもうとは すしを 食たべたがって います.
• Be careful with people above you: がる・たがる judge another person's mind from the outside. In front of an elder or a customer, or in a formal setting, it can sound a little rude. Use 〜たいと 言いって います (he says he wants to ~) instead. With friends, it's fine to talk this way about a teacher. In panel 4, Rin says it to Neko-sensei's face on purpose, as a joke. That's why it's funny.

• みんな 知しりたがって いますよ。 — Everyone really wants to know!
• 店長てんちょうは 写真しゃしんの 話はなしを したがりません。 — Mr. Kuma doesn't want to talk about the photo.
• 妹いもうとは ラーメンを 食たべたがって います。 — My little sister really wants to eat ramen.
• 子こどもは 外そとに 行いきたがります。 — The child always wants to go outside.
• くまたは いつも 団子だんごを 買かいたがります。 — Kumata always wants to buy dango.
• 先生せんせいは 京都きょうとに 行いきたいと 言いって いました。 — Sensei said he wants to go to Kyoto. (This is the politer way to say it about someone above you.)