would

[themonk]

Can anyone comment on the 'i would like to do xyz' pattern?

[furrykef]

I think you're mishearing "desu ga" as "desu ka". "Desu ka" would mean "Would you like...". The "ga" in "desu ga" doesn't really mean anything, but the literal meaning is "but". The Japanese have a habit of ending sentences with "ga" or "kedo" ("kedo" means virtually the same thing as "ga" in this context) and implying a logical but unspoken continuation. (We do the same thing in English, just less extensively: "I'd love to stay and chat, but...", implying "I gotta go".) In this case, though, I'm not really sure there is an unspoken continuation and the "ga" seems to just add to the politeness and overall "deferentialness".

To answer the question, "X ga [verb]tai" and "X o [verb]tai" is something of a long-standing controversy. There are some who will say that "ga" is the only correct form, but many people use "o" in everyday speech. These speakers probably tend to use "ga" for extra emphasis ("Kore ga kaitai": "I want to buy this (not that thing over there)"), and "o" when they feel that no such emphasis is warranted. Still, the safer option is to always use "ga" until you know you can get away with using "o".

- Kef

[themonk]

Kef san ~
Thank you very much for the reply. I had no idea that there is this controversy surrounding the use of "ga" versus o.

Moreover, i would like to thank you for the additional benefit in your reply for pointing out my error, which should have been "desu ga."

Happy New Year.