~tai and motomeru -> wanting

Minnasan Konnichiwa, Ive been trying to figure out how to use 'like/want' for a little while and am confused. I know the verb conjugation 'tai' for I/he/she wants (i.e. mitai = I want to see, tabetai = I want to eat, etc) and this seems pretty straight forward. But there is also the word motomeru which means to want, to seek, to request. Is there a common convention for the use of both, or are they interchangeable. For example, whenever I tell someone im studying japanese, the first thing they say is 'say something in japanese.' I was trying to figure out how to say 'what do you want me to say?' I came up with: anata wa watashi ga nani o hanasu motomeimasu ka? Or would you say: watashi ga nani o hanashitai desu ka? if I even have that right :oops: ? Im sure I dont have either sentence correct, but any help would be appreciated. Another quick question since im thinking about it: Oshieru = to tell, hansu = to speak, iwaku = to say...it seems to me that these three could all be used interchangeably. Oshieru has more of a context of teaching, but seems to have a similar correlation to the others. what is the difference, if any. Hmmm, this might be more complex than I thought sorry. Minnasan wa tasukete ni arigatou gozaimas. Nihongo ga tanoshii desu ne! Dan

Dan-san, Konnichiwa! Excellent questions :P . As you say *~tai* endings of verbs is used to express what you want. And, it is pretty straightforward. Just get the stem of the verb, and add *~tai*. Now, the verb *motomeru* translates also as "want" but is more in the sense of "seek" or "request" or "search for". It can also suggest - "beseech" as in "to beseech (a person) to do something" For example: たすけを もとめる. *Tasuke o motomeru* expresses _"Ask for help" or "Seek for help"_ and though it implies that you obviously WANT help - you are actually seeking for it because you need it. When you want ask _"What do you want me to say"_ in a casual situation (with your friends)- you can say *Nani o itte hoshii no?* or in a formal situation - *Nani o ii mashou ka?* or *Nani o hanashi mashou ka?* Onto your next question - the difference between おしえる *OSHIERU*, はなす *HANASU*, and いう *IU* is similar to the slight difference between the English words "teach/tell/show" and "speak/talk" and "say". Let me give you a few examples: *OSHIERU* Ima nanji ka __oshiete__ kudasai. - _"Would you __tell__ me what time it is?"_ *HANASU* Kare to denwa de __hanasu__. - _"I __speak__ to him on the telephone."_ *IU* Hontou no koto o __iu__. - _To __say__ the truth._ -Sayaka :P

Sayaka-san arigatou gozaimashita! sugoi deshita ne. I had a clarification question reguarding your response. -nani o ii mashou ka? how did 'iu' become 'ii'? I expected it to just be 'i mashou ka?' is this just to differentiate possible voiced confusions of: 'ii masu' and 'imasu' (or simmilar situations) matashitemo, arigatou. You have been an invaluable recource. Dan