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Japanese Future Plans (-tai)

Eighth graders learn to express what they WANT to do in Japanese using the 〜たい (-tai) form — たべたい (tabetai, want to eat), いきたい (ikitai, want to go), みたい (mitai, want to see). Now they can talk about plans, dreams, and the future.

Grade 8Future Plans (-tai)50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Use the -tai form.
  • ✓Say what you want to do.
  • ✓Talk about the future.
  • ✓Share your plans.
Essential Question

What do you WANT to do? In Japanese, just add “-tai” to a verb! How does it work?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Future Plans (-tai) Check

Project each item and have students answer about the Japanese “-tai” (want to) form.

⭐ Understand the -tai (want to) formTry it
Answer each question about the Japanese “-tai” (want to) form.
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — What Do You Want to Do?

6 min

What do you want to do? Just add “-tai” to a verb — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “Tabetai!” (I want to eat).
  • Ask how it’s built.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Future Plans (-tai)

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the -tai Check.
  • Note tabetai, ikitai, mitai.
  • Note verb + tai.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what you want to eat.
  • Say where you want to go.
  • Use -tai.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Use it.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “Nihon ni ikitai desu.”
  • Share a dream.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Share.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Use the -tai form.
  • Say a future plan.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Use it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice-High).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: express wants.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: discuss plans.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare verb forms.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to goal-setting.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Verb + tai cards with romaji.
  • Sentence frame: “___tai desu.”
  • Model examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with tabetai & ikitai.
  • Use one verb at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make 3 -tai sentences.
  • Plan a trip.
  • Add tsumori (intend to).
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ⭐Verb + tai cards
  • 💻Future Plans (-tai) Check
  • 🗣️Sentence strips
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

よてい (yotei)plan〜たい (-tai)want toたべたい (tabetai)want to eatいきたい (ikitai)want to goみたい (mitai)want to seeしょうらい (shōrai)futureゆめ (yume)dreamつもり (tsumori)intention
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does adding “-tai” to a verb mean?
“Want to” do that action (like tabetai = want to eat).
QUESTION 2
What does “Nihon ni ikitai desu” mean?
I want to go to Japan.
QUESTION 3
How would you say “I want to see a movie”?
Eiga o mitai desu.

Reflect: future plans.

Have students say one thing they want to do in Japanese using -tai (like “Nihon ni ikitai desu”). A printable -tai sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Japanese Future Plans (-tai)Flip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Japanese Future Plans (-tai)Quiz
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Japanese Future Plans (-tai)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 〜たい (-tai), いきたい (ikitai), しょうらい (shōrai), たべたい (tabetai), つもり (tsumori), みたい (mitai), ゆめ (yume), よてい (yotei)
  1. dream
  2. want to
  3. want to eat
  4. future
  5. want to go
  6. plan
  7. intention
  8. want to see

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does adding “-tai” to a verb mean?
  2. What does “Nihon ni ikitai desu” mean?
  3. How would you say “I want to see a movie”?
Answer key — Part A: 1) ゆめ (yume) · 2) 〜たい (-tai) · 3) たべたい (tabetai) · 4) しょうらい (shōrai) · 5) いきたい (ikitai) · 6) よてい (yotei) · 7) つもり (tsumori) · 8) みたい (mitai)
Part B: 1) “Want to” do that action (like tabetai = want to eat). 2) I want to go to Japan. 3) Eiga o mitai desu.