心がいつも美しくありたいです
I want my heart to always be beautiful.
心がいつも美しくして欲しいです (Incorrect)
心がいつも美しくなりたいです
I want my heart to always be beautiful.(?)
My Japanese friend wrote the first sentence, while I wrote it over attempting to use 欲しい instead. I am unfamiliar with this use of ある, and have a few questions about it.
Is it derived from the same "existence" verb, ある -- 在る ?
My other question is how personal is the nuance when expressing a wish or desire, compared to 欲しい? If the second version that I wrote with 欲しい is acceptable, how do the two sentences differ in tone, politeness, meaning and expression?
I am wondering if ありたい expresses a more, or less personal desire than 欲しい.
Furthermore, can one rewrite the original sentence using another verb, while retaining the same meaning? Lastly, is my translation correct? Or should it read "I want my heart to always be beautiful."? I had thought that the original sentence corresponded to something like "I always want the person on the inside to be beautiful (just like how I am on the outside)," but maybe I am wrong. Thank you.
Answer
たいis used when the expected change is on the subject or it is about the subject's action.
お菓子を食べたい
'I want to eat some/the snack.'
ほしいis used when it is about something other than the subject.
お菓子を食べてほしい
'I want someone to eat some/the snack.'
Your second sentence is ungrammatical because 心 is the object. It should be:
心をいつも美しくして欲しいです
But this sentence cannot be interpreted as describing your own mind. It has to mean the mind of someone else. The same thing can be said about your third sentence.
A possible rewrite of the first example is:
心がいつも美しくなりたいです
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