How to Say ‘I'd like to talk’ in Japanese
お話ししたくて
o hanashi shi taku te
[o hanashi shee tah-koo teh]
💬 Usage Tip: Swap the ending of a verb for たい to say you want to do something. Then たい becomes たくて, which leaves the sentence trailing off softly instead of stating the wish bluntly.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Used before nouns to make them polite.
お茶をどうぞ。
Please have some tea.
話し
hanashi
[hanashi]
talk; speaking
The stem of 話す, used in polite expressions related to conversation.
採用担当者と話しできて勉強になりました。
It was educational to be able to talk with the recruiter.
し
shi
[shee]
do (stem)
Verb stem used as part of the fixed polite request phrase.
注文をお願いし、ます。
I would like to place the order, please.
たく
taku
[tah-koo]
want to (part of ～たくて)
From ～たい. ～たくて expresses a reason/motivation: “because I want to …”
経験を増やしたくて転職しました。
I changed jobs because I wanted to gain more experience.
て
te
[teh]
and; -te form
A linking form used to connect verbs to following grammar, such as progressive or polite forms.
仕事を探している人と話しました。
I spoke with a person who is looking for work.
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