JLPT N5 Wants, likes, skills, and plans
たい expresses wanting to do something, がほしい wanting a thing, and つもり a plan you have already made. のが好き・のが上手・のが下手 turn verbs into things you like or are good or bad at, and にする states a choice. A common slip is using たい or ほしい about other people, which sounds odd in Japanese.
8 N5 grammar points in this group
たい (tai): want to do
たい expresses the speaker's desire to do an action. It always attaches to a verb, never to a noun. Wanting a *thing* uses a different word, ほしい.
水を飲みたいです。 — I want to drink some water.
がほしい (ga hoshii): want something
Noun + がほしい says that the speaker wants that noun. In a plain statement, the person who wants is you, even when you leave out 私は, which Japanese usually does.
新しいスマホがほしいです。 — I want a new smartphone.
のが好き (no ga suki): to like doing something
The pattern means to like doing X or to enjoy doing X. It describes a general preference, something that is true about you whether or not you are doing it right now.
私は本を読むのが好きです。 — I like reading books.
のが上手 (no ga jouzu): to be good at doing something
上手 is a な-adjective meaning “skillful, good (at).” It can describe a noun directly: 料理が上手, 英語が上手.
母は料理するのが上手です。 — My mother is a good cook.
のが下手 (no ga heta): to be bad at doing something
下手 (へた) is a na-adjective meaning "unskilled" or "clumsy at." On its own it attaches to nouns: 料理が下手 (bad at cooking), 字が下手 (bad handwriting). To say you're bad at an action, Japanese needs a noun, so the verb gets の first. That small の works like English "-ing": 歌う (sing) → 歌うの (singing).
私は泳ぐのが下手 — I'm bad at swimming.
に行く (ni iku): go to do
The pattern links two ideas: an action (buying, seeing, eating) and the movement you make to do it. English says “go to buy” or “go and buy”; Japanese says “go for buying.
コンビニへ水を買いに行きます。 — I'm going to the convenience store to buy water.
にする (ni suru): to decide on
Literally, にする is "make it into ~": the particle に marks the result, and する means "do / make." When you say コーヒーにします, you're saying "I make my choice coffee.
「何にしますか。」「じゃあ、私はラーメンにします。」 — "What will you have?" "Then I'll have the ramen."
つもり (tsumori): plan to; intend to
つもり is a noun meaning “intention.” When you put a verb in front of it, you describe the content of that intention: 行くつもり = “the intention to go.” Adding です makes it a full sentence.
来年、日本へ行くつもりです。 — I'm planning to go to Japan next year.