Voli is the neutral, high-frequency verb for wanting a thing, wanting to act, or wanting another situation to become real. Its grammar depends on who will carry out the desired action: use an infinitive when the subject stays the same, but normally use ke + -u when a different person is to act. This subject contrast is the organizing principle behind the apparent variety of English translations.
The complete paradigm
The stem vol- takes every ordinary verb ending regularly. Esperanto verbs do not agree with person or number, so mi volas, ŝi volas, and ili volas all use the same form.
| Form | Core value | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| voli | infinitive | to want |
| volas | present | want, wants |
| volis | past | wanted |
| volos | future | will want |
| volus | conditional | would want, would like |
| volu | volitive | want!, be willing! |
Mi volas tason da teo, se eblas.
I want a cup of tea, if possible.
Ĉu vi volos ion por manĝi post la koncerto?
Will you want something to eat after the concert?
The form volis reports a past desire, whether or not it was fulfilled. Volus is not its past tense: -us makes the desire conditional, hypothetical, or socially less direct.
Mi volis telefoni al vi, sed mia baterio elĉerpiĝis.
I wanted to call you, but my battery ran out.
Mi volus demandi ion pri la kontrakto.
I would like to ask something about the contract.
Wanting a thing: a direct object
When the desired item is a noun phrase or pronoun, voli is transitive. Mark a direct object with accusative -n where the form permits it.
La infanoj volas glaciaĵon post la tagmanĝo.
The children want ice cream after lunch.
Mi ne volas tiun postenon je ajna prezo.
I do not want that position at any price.
Pronouns show the object role especially clearly: Mi volas ĝin, not Mi volas ĝi. A quantity expression can also serve as the object: Ni volas pli da tempo. The da belongs inside that quantity phrase; it is not a preposition required by voli.
The frequent question Kion vi volas de mi? adds de mi to name the person from whom something is expected. The core object is still kion.
Kion vi volas de mi? — Nur honestan respondon.
What do you want from me? — Just an honest answer.
Wanting to act: voli + infinitive
Use a bare infinitive when the wanter will also perform the desired action. No Esperanto equivalent of English to is inserted between the two verbs.
Ni volas lui biciklojn por la semajnfino.
We want to rent bicycles for the weekend.
Ŝi ne volis interrompi la kunvenon.
She did not want to interrupt the meeting.
In Ni volas lui, the subject ni belongs semantically to both verbs: we want, and we would do the renting. The infinitive can have its own object (biciklojn), adverbs, and prepositional phrases. This is why voli is best understood as taking a whole infinitive phrase, not as joining a fixed two-word expression.
Wanting somebody else to act
English says “I want you to come,” treating you like an object before an infinitive. Esperanto does not copy that construction. Put the desired situation in a ke-clause, give that clause its own subject, and use the volitive -u because the action is presented as wanted rather than asserted as fact.
Mi volas, ke vi venu iom pli frue.
I want you to come a little earlier.
La kliento volas, ke ni sendu la fakturon retpoŝte.
The client wants us to send the invoice by email.
The comma before ke is normal. After voli, a clause that names the desired action or result normally uses -u, even with a stative verb: Mi volas, ke vi sciu la veron “I want you to know the truth.” The desired content is not being asserted as fact. The distinction receives fuller treatment under the volitive in subordinate clauses.
Volus, volu, and bonvolu
Because a conditional desire is less forceful than a bare present demand, volus is frequent in tactful requests, service encounters, and negotiations. It is neutral across spoken and written usage, not a special formal conjugation.
Mi volus rezervi duoblan ĉambron por tri noktoj.
I would like to reserve a double room for three nights.
Bare volu literally calls on someone to be willing and is comparatively marked in ordinary requests. The conventional courteous form is bonvolu + infinitive, literally “be good-willed enough to…”. The following verb remains an infinitive, not another -u form.
Bonvolu sendi al mi la finan version ĝis vendredo.
Please send me the final version by Friday.
Volu aŭskulti min ĝis la fino.
Be willing to listen to me until the end.
The second sentence is grammatical but more insistent or elevated than everyday Bonvolu aŭskulti. In casual conversation an ordinary request with ĉu or bonvolu is normally more idiomatic.
Future intention is not simply volition
English often uses “want to” where a future plan is meant. Esperanto voli keeps the idea of desire. If you are simply saying what will happen, use -os; if desire or willingness matters, use voli.
Morgaŭ mi laboros hejme, sed mi ne volas labori dum la tuta semajnfino.
Tomorrow I will work from home, but I do not want to work all weekend.
Likewise, Ĉu vi volas…? can offer something or invite someone, but its literal structure still asks about willingness: Ĉu vi volas kafon? “Would you like coffee?” Context makes the social function clear.
Negation and refusal
Ne voli can express either absence of desire or active refusal; context normally makes the intended force clear.
Li ne volas manĝi nun; li diras, ke li ne malsatas.
He doesn't want to eat now; he says he isn't hungry.
La posedanto ne volas vendi la domon, malgraŭ nia propono.
The owner refuses to sell the house despite our offer.
Logically, voli ne iri foregrounds a desire not to go, while ne voli iri denies a desire to go. Ordinary usage strongly favors ne voli, and the two often lead to the same practical result. Use fuller wording when that scope distinction itself matters.
Participles and productive derivatives
Because voli can take a direct object, both active and passive participles are possible. The active series is volanta “wanting now,” volinta “having wanted,” and volonta “going to want.” The passive series is volata “currently wanted,” volita “wanted as a completed choice,” and volota “to be wanted.” Not every mathematically possible form is equally frequent: plain finite verbs usually sound lighter.
Two forms are especially useful. Volonte, built on the active participial stem, means “willingly” or “gladly,” and volita commonly describes an intended or desired outcome.
Mi volonte helpos vin post la tagmanĝo.
I’ll gladly help you after lunch.
La intertraktado ne donis la volitan rezulton.
The negotiation did not produce the desired result.
Other productive family members include volo “will/desire,” libervola “voluntary,” kontraŭvola “involuntary/against one’s will,” and bonvolo “goodwill.” Their meanings arise regularly from Esperanto word formation rather than from irregular principal parts.
Frequency and register
All common finite forms of voli are neutral and frequent. Volus is common in everyday courtesy as well as hypothetical reasoning. Bonvolu is conventional in speech, emails, notices, and instructions; its fixed social use does not make it grammatically irregular. Elaborate participles such as volota are uncommon because speakers often prefer a relative clause or a simple form.
Common Mistakes
Copying “want someone to” word for word
❌ Mi volas vin veni frue.
Incorrect — Esperanto does not use an object plus infinitive for a different subject.
✅ Mi volas, ke vi venu frue.
I want you to come early.
Using a finite verb in the same-subject pattern
❌ Ni volas mendas picon.
Incorrect — the second verb must be an infinitive.
✅ Ni volas mendi picon.
We want to order a pizza.
Forgetting the accusative on a noun object
❌ Ŝi volas nova telefono.
Incorrect — the wanted thing is a direct object.
✅ Ŝi volas novan telefonon.
She wants a new phone.
Treating volus as past tense
❌ Hieraŭ mi volus ripozi.
Incorrect for a factual past desire — volus is conditional.
✅ Hieraŭ mi volis ripozi.
Yesterday I wanted to rest.
Putting -u after bonvolu
❌ Bonvolu atendu ĉi tie.
Incorrect — bonvolu is already finite; the following verb is infinitive.
✅ Bonvolu atendi ĉi tie.
Please wait here.
Key Takeaways
Use voli + object for a wanted thing, voli + infinitive when the wanter will act, and voli, ke + -u when another subject is to carry out the desired action. Keep volis for past desire and volus for conditional or tactfully distanced desire. The common derivatives bonvolu, volonte, volo, and volita belong to the same transparent root system.
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