Quote:
Originally Posted by StonerPenguin
Hello everybody, I've come across the 「～がる」 structure for the first time so I need a little help please. The dictionary defines the 「～がる」 structure as
The sentence I read was 「だが・・・ひとつ分からないことがある。 お前がうちの社員になりたがる理由だ」. There's only two people talking to each other so I don't think there's a "third party"  Does it mean "But... there's one thing I don't understand. Because you're acting like you want to be(come) my employee."
Is that right? Sorry, I'm not confident because of my lack of experience with 「～がる」.  |
Though I am on vacation, it is hard to resist answering a good question. The first definition your dictionary gives is okay but not perfect. It should include the second party as well as the third.
Read these three sentences. I will use pronouns to illustrate my point better.
私は家に帰りたい。
あなたは家に帰りたがっている。
林さんは家に帰りたがっている。
Hayashi wants to go home but you are not the one who is directly feeling that way. Hayashi may have even told you he wanted to go home but you still are an outsider to that desire/feeling. This is how がる is used with the 2nd and 3rd persons.
The same goes for adjectives. You can feel さみしい but others only feel さみしがっている if you are the one talking about it.
You translated 「お前がうちの社員になりたがる理由だ。」 incorrectly. It means "It is the reason that you want to become our employee." The hidden subject here is それは.
それ ＝ ひとつ = the one thing the speaker does not understand, which is said in the preceding sentence.