Japanese "tai" help?

Question

Can someone explain how do i do that Tai suffix??

my book says this and i dont get what it is telling me to do.

To say you want to do somthing use the verb in the stem form (pre-masu form) and add the suffix tai as in tabetai (to want to eat) the output is an i-typ adj, and you can use it like other i-typ adj.

i dont get whats the pre masu form...:|

Answer 1

Pre-masu means infinitive. Infinitive means unconjugated verb.

So, using Omou, that is the premasu from.  But, you take the stem "omo" add "i" then add "tai."  

Omoitai = I want to think

Taberu-->tabe+tai= Tabetai= I want to eat.

Nomu-->no+mi+tai= Nomitai= I want to drink.

Suru-->s**++ tai=Shitai= I want to do.

Do you understand?

Now, to make "do not want" you conjugate tai like an -i adjective.

Omoitakuani= I don't want to think

Tabetakunai= I don't want to eat

Nomitakunai= I don't want to drink

Omoitakatta= I wanted to think

Tabetakatta= I wanted to drink

Omoitanakatta= I didn't want to think

Get it? Email me for a better explanation if you don't.  

Answer 2

I think pre-masu form is their awkward way of saying basic verb form.

Tabemasu is taberu's "masu" form, therefore taberu is the "pre-masu" form.

But that rule doesn't always work with Japanese verbs, so I don't like that explanation.

For example, suru is an irregular verb so to say "I want to do it" you need shitai. Same with iku and kuru (ikitai and kitai, respectively).

Those are irregular verbs, though, so that's to be expected. But the same goes for other verbs to like hairu isn't haitai, it's hairitai.

I think it's better to explain it like this:

Tai is a suffix you add when you want to perform an action. To figure out the correct conjugation for -tai you should take a verb in its masu form (tabemasu) then replace the masu with tai (tabetai). After a verb enters the -tai form it becomes also like an i-adjective and can be conjugated as one (tabetakunai - I don't want to eat).