French Verb Vouloir – This power verb gives you power to start speaking!
The French verb vouloir means to want, and it’s very easy to use once you’ve learned how to conjugate it in the present tense. Like many verbs, vouloir can be followed directly by an infinitive. That’s why I like to call vouloir a “power verb” – because it gives you the power to start speaking! You can easily follow the verb vouloir directly with any infinitive. You will be able to start speaking in complete sentences right away! You can also use the French verb vouloir in the conditional, which is an easy way to add a layer of politeness to your conversations.
Watch my video lesson on the French verb vouloir at the bottom of this lesson to see it in “power verb” action! You can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
French Verb Vouloir: Present tense conjugation
| Je veux I want | Nous voulons We want |
| Tu veux You want | Vous voulez You want |
| Il veut He wants Elle veut She wants On veut One wants *ON VEUT also means WE WANT | Ils veulent They want Elles veulent They want |
French Verb Vouloir: Present conditional conjugation
| Je voudrais I would like | Nous voudrions We would like |
| Tu voudrais You would like | Vous voudriez You would like |
| Il voudrait He would like Elle voudrait She would like On voudrait One would like *ON VOUDRAIT also means WE WOULD LIKE | Ils voudraient They would like Elles voudraient They would like |
Examples
Je
| Je veux manger. | I want to eat. |
| Je ne veux pas manger. | I don’t want to eat. |
| Je voudrais manger. | I would like to eat. |
| Je ne voudrais pas manger. | I would not like to eat. |
Tu
| Tu veux voyager. | You want to travel. |
| Tu ne veux pas voyager. | You don’t want to travel. |
| Tu voudrais voyager. | You would like to travel. |
| Tu ne voudrais pas voyager. | You would not like to travel. |
Il / Elle / On
| Il veut travailler. | He wants to work. |
| Il ne veut pas travailler. | He doesn’t want to work. |
| Il voudrait travailler. | He would like to work. |
| Il ne voudrait pas travailler. | He would not like to work. |
Nous
| Nous voulons dormir. | We want to sleep. |
| Nous ne voulons pas dormir. | We don’t want to sleep. |
| Nous voudrions dormir. | We would like to sleep. |
| Nous ne voudrions pas dormir. | We would not like to sleep. |
Vous
| Vous voulez choisir. | You want to choose. |
| Vous ne voulez pas choisir. | You don’t want to choose. |
| Vous voudriez choisir. | You would like to choose. |
| Vous ne voudriez pas choisir. | You would not like to choose. |
Ils / Elles
| Ils veulent gagner. | They want to win. |
| Ils ne veulent pas gagner. | They don’t want to win. |
| Ils voudraient gagner. | They would like to win. |
| Ils ne voudraient pas gagner. | They would not like to win. |
