Vouloir is the French verb of wanting. In its bare modal use it pairs with an infinitive — je veux partir (I want to leave) — and in its full transitive use it takes a direct object — je veux du chocolat (I want chocolate). It also triggers the subjunctive when its subject differs from the action's subject — je veux qu'il vienne (I want him to come). Beyond the bare meaning of want, vouloir spawns three high-frequency idioms — vouloir bien (be willing), en vouloir à (be angry at), and vouloir dire (mean) — that learners discover one by one and then use constantly.
But the single most useful thing on this page is the conditionnel form je voudrais. This is the polite default for ordering coffee, asking for information, or expressing any preference in adult interaction. Saying je veux un café in a café sounds blunt enough to be rude; saying je voudrais un café sounds normal. Master vouloir and you have access to a full register of social politeness in French.
Full conjugation
Vouloir is irregular in the present, the futur, and the subjunctive — and it has a special imperative form (veuillez) used only in formal correspondence.
Indicatif
| Person | Présent | Imparfait | Passé simple | Futur simple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | veux | voulais | voulus | voudrai |
| tu | veux | voulais | voulus | voudras |
| il / elle / on | veut | voulait | voulut | voudra |
| nous | voulons | voulions | voulûmes | voudrons |
| vous | voulez | vouliez | voulûtes | voudrez |
| ils / elles | veulent | voulaient | voulurent | voudront |
Conditionnel and subjonctif
| Person | Conditionnel présent | Subjonctif présent |
|---|---|---|
| que je / je | voudrais | veuille |
| que tu / tu | voudrais | veuilles |
| qu'il / il | voudrait | veuille |
| que nous / nous | voudrions | voulions |
| que vous / vous | voudriez | vouliez |
| qu'ils / ils | voudraient | veuillent |
Impératif: veuille / veuillons / veuillez
The imperative is unusual: rather than borrowing from the present indicative as most verbs do (veux would be the regular form, but is essentially never used as an imperative), vouloir uses the subjunctive stem veuill- for its imperative.
- veuille (singular, very rare in practice)
- veuillons (1st plural, essentially unused)
- veuillez (2nd plural / formal — common in formal correspondence)
Veuillez + infinitive is the formal "please ..." that opens or closes letters and official notices.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Please accept, Madame, the expression of my distinguished greetings. (formal letter close)
Veuillez patienter quelques instants.
Please wait a few moments. (formal — recorded announcements, public notices)
Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document demandé.
Please find attached the requested document.
For everyday "please," use s'il vous plaît — veuillez is reserved for formal contexts.
Participes
- Participe passé: voulu (regular agreement)
- Participe présent: voulant
Notes on the paradigm
The same kinds of irregularities seen with pouvoir recur with vouloir:
- Strong/weak stem alternation in the present: strong veu- in je veux, tu veux, il veut; weak voul- in nous voulons, vous voulez; and a separate veul- in ils veulent. Three stems, just like pouvoir.
- Double-r futur stem voudr-: je voudrai, tu voudras, etc. This same stem powers the conditionnel voudrais, voudrait, voudrions, voudriez, voudraient. Note the d — voudr-, not voulr-.
- Subjunctive stem veuill-: que je veuille, que tu veuilles, except for nous and vous which use the imparfait stem voul- — que nous voulions, que vous vouliez. This split is identical to the pattern in prendre, venir, devoir.
Core meaning: want / will / intend
In its plainest use, vouloir + infinitive means "want to do something" or "be willing to do something." Unlike English want — which always implies a desire — French veux can also be neutral, especially in veux-tu questions, where it functions as a request.
Je veux apprendre l'italien cet été.
I want to learn Italian this summer.
Tu veux venir avec nous au parc ?
Do you want to come with us to the park?
Elle veut acheter une nouvelle voiture.
She wants to buy a new car.
Ils ne veulent pas accepter notre offre.
They don't want to accept our offer.
With a direct object — vouloir + nom — it shifts to plain wanting:
Je veux du chocolat.
I want chocolate.
Mon fils veut un nouveau vélo pour son anniversaire.
My son wants a new bike for his birthday.
In modern French, the indicative je veux is fine in casual situations between friends, but feels too direct in service interactions or with strangers. For those contexts, the conditionnel je voudrais is the polite default — see the next section.
The conditionnel je voudrais: the polite want
Je voudrais + infinitive (or + noun) is the polite "I would like." It is the single most useful conditionnel form in French for daily life, and you will use it many times a day if you live in a French-speaking country.
Je voudrais un café et un croissant, s'il vous plaît.
I'd like a coffee and a croissant, please.
Je voudrais réserver une table pour deux personnes.
I'd like to book a table for two.
On voudrait commander, quand vous aurez un moment.
We'd like to order, whenever you have a moment.
Je voudrais savoir à quelle heure le train arrive.
I'd like to know what time the train arrives.
The shift from je veux to je voudrais is not a meaning change — both express the speaker's desire — but a register change. The conditionnel signals that the speaker recognizes the listener has agency in granting the request, and softens the assertion accordingly. In any service context (café, restaurant, shop, office) and in most adult-to-stranger interactions, je voudrais is the right choice.
The pattern extends to other persons:
- voudriez-vous ? = "would you like ... ?" — formal offer or invitation
- on voudrait = "we'd like" — first-person plural in casual register
- il voudrait que = "he'd like ..." — desire expressed about a third party
Voudriez-vous quelque chose à boire ?
Would you like something to drink? (polite offer)
Mon père voudrait que je devienne médecin.
My father would like me to become a doctor. (que + subjunctive — see below)
For full coverage of the politeness conditionnel, see voudrais-pourrais-politeness.
Vouloir + que + subjunctive: when subjects differ
The single trickiest point about vouloir for English speakers: when the subject of want and the subject of the wanted action differ, French requires que + the subjunctive.
- Same subject: vouloir + infinitive — Je veux partir (I want to leave; I = I).
- Different subjects: vouloir que + subjunctive — Je veux qu'il parte (I want him to leave; I ≠ him).
English uses want him to leave — a single construction that ignores subject difference. French does not allow this. There is no way to say I want him to leave with an infinitive in French. The infinitive only works when the subjects match.
Je veux que tu viennes avec moi.
I want you to come with me.
Elle veut que ses enfants apprennent le piano.
She wants her children to learn the piano.
On voudrait que la réunion commence à 10h.
We'd like the meeting to start at 10.
Je ne veux pas qu'il soit en retard demain.
I don't want him to be late tomorrow.
This is the most reliable subjunctive trigger in the entire French language. If your sentence pattern is "[subject A] + vouloir + [subject B] + verb," you must use que + subjunctive — every time.
The conditionnel form voudrais triggers it equally:
Je voudrais qu'on parte plus tôt si c'est possible.
I'd like us to leave earlier if possible.
Mes parents voudraient que je rentre pour Noël.
My parents would like me to come home for Christmas.
See verbs/subjunctive/triggers/desire-volition.
Three high-frequency idioms
Vouloir powers three idioms that are not predictable from "want." Each is worth learning as a unit.
vouloir bien — be willing / agree to
Vouloir bien + infinitive means "be willing to" — the speaker isn't enthusiastic but doesn't refuse. It is the diplomatic yes.
Je veux bien venir, mais je ne pourrai pas rester longtemps.
I'm willing to come, but I won't be able to stay long.
Tu veux bien fermer la porte ?
Would you mind closing the door? (literally: are you willing to)
— Tu veux du gâteau ? — Je veux bien.
— Want some cake? — Sure / I wouldn't mind.
The idiom is conventional; the bien does not literally mean "well." It softens vouloir into a willingness reading rather than a strong desire. Tu veux bien ? at the end of a request is one of the most common mid-register polite forms in French.
en vouloir à — be angry at / hold a grudge
En vouloir à quelqu'un is the idiom for "be mad at someone, bear a grudge against them." The en and the indirect-object construction are both fixed; you cannot drop the en or substitute another preposition.
Je lui en veux d'avoir oublié mon anniversaire.
I'm angry at him for forgetting my birthday.
Tu m'en veux encore pour ce que j'ai dit hier ?
Are you still mad at me about what I said yesterday?
Ne lui en veux pas, il ne savait pas.
Don't be angry at him — he didn't know.
Elle s'en veut d'avoir mal réagi.
She's mad at herself for having reacted badly. (reflexive: s'en vouloir)
The reflexive s'en vouloir = "be mad at oneself / regret something" — a high-frequency form for self-reproach.
vouloir dire — to mean
Vouloir dire is the standard French way to ask or state what something means. Literally "want to say," but functionally just to mean.
Qu'est-ce que ce mot veut dire ?
What does this word mean?
Ça ne veut rien dire, c'est une expression idiomatique.
That doesn't mean anything — it's an idiom.
Tu veux dire que tu ne viens pas ?
You mean you're not coming?
Le mot 'fenêtre' veut dire 'window'.
The word 'fenêtre' means 'window'.
There is no separate verb for "to mean" in French — vouloir dire does the entire job. Signifier exists but is more formal/written; vouloir dire is the everyday choice.
Vouloir in the passé composé and imparfait
Vouloir shows a strong aspectual contrast in the past, similar to pouvoir.
- J'ai voulu
- infinitive = "I tried to / I decided to" — the wanting led to action.
- Je voulais
- infinitive = "I wanted to" — describes a past desire, often unrealized.
J'ai voulu lui parler, mais il était déjà parti.
I tried to talk to him, but he had already left. (the wanting was put into action)
Je voulais te dire quelque chose hier, mais j'ai oublié.
I wanted to tell you something yesterday, but I forgot. (a past desire — describes a state)
Elle a voulu refuser, mais c'était trop tard.
She tried to refuse, but it was too late.
On voulait partir tôt, mais le train était en retard.
We wanted to leave early, but the train was late.
The negative is also asymmetric: je n'ai pas voulu often reads as "I refused" (active rejection), while je ne voulais pas reads as "I didn't want" (a state).
Il n'a pas voulu m'aider quand je le lui ai demandé.
He refused to help me when I asked him.
Je ne voulais pas la déranger pendant la réunion.
I didn't want to bother her during the meeting.
This passé composé / imparfait split with modals (and with savoir, pouvoir, devoir, connaître) is one of the most subtle aspectual choices in French. Worth drilling deliberately.
Conditionnel passé: aurais voulu = would have wanted
For unrealized past desires — "I would have wanted to / liked to" — French uses the conditionnel passé: aurais / aurait / aurions / auriez / auraient + the past participle voulu + infinitive.
J'aurais voulu venir à ton mariage, mais j'étais à l'étranger.
I would have wanted to come to your wedding, but I was abroad.
On aurait voulu rester plus longtemps, mais il fallait rentrer.
We would have liked to stay longer, but we had to go home.
J'aurais voulu être pianiste, mais je n'ai jamais eu le talent.
I would have liked to be a pianist, but I never had the talent.
This form, paired with aurais dû (should have) and aurais pu (could have), forms the regret/reproach triplet. See conditionnel-passe-regret.
Negation, pronouns, and questions
The standard rules for modal verbs apply.
Negation wraps the conjugated vouloir:
Je ne veux pas y aller, je suis fatigué.
I don't want to go — I'm tired.
Tu ne voudrais pas un peu de gâteau ?
Wouldn't you like a bit of cake? (negative invitation — common)
Object pronouns sit before the infinitive:
Je veux le voir avant de partir.
I want to see him before leaving.
Tu voudrais me passer le pain ?
Could you pass me the bread? (literally: would you want to)
Question forms work via inversion or est-ce que:
Voulez-vous une tasse de thé ?
Would you like a cup of tea? (formal inversion)
Est-ce que tu veux sortir ce soir ?
Do you want to go out tonight?
The negative invitation tu ne voudrais pas... / vous ne voudriez pas... is a very common French politeness device, similar to English "wouldn't you like." The negation is rhetorical — the speaker is offering, not refusing.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using infinitive instead of que + subjunctive when subjects differ.
❌ Je veux lui venir. / Je veux qu'il vient.
When the wanter and the actor are different, French requires que + subjunctive — never infinitive, never the indicative.
✅ Je veux qu'il vienne.
I want him to come.
Mistake 2: Using the indicative je veux in polite contexts.
❌ Je veux un café.
Sounds blunt to a server. The polite default in shops, restaurants, and any service context is the conditionnel.
✅ Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.
I'd like a coffee, please.
Mistake 3: Confusing je voudrai (futur) and je voudrais (conditionnel).
❌ Je voudrai un café maintenant.
Wrong tense. Voudrai (no -s) is the future = 'I will want.' For 'I would like' use voudrais (with -s).
✅ Je voudrais un café maintenant.
I'd like a coffee now.
Mistake 4: Forgetting en in en vouloir à.
❌ Je lui veux pour ce qu'il a dit.
The idiom requires en. Without it, the sentence loses its grudge meaning.
✅ Je lui en veux pour ce qu'il a dit.
I'm angry at him for what he said.
Mistake 5: Translating "to mean" as signifier in casual speech.
❌ Qu'est-ce que ce mot signifie ?
Possible but feels formal/written. The everyday verb is vouloir dire.
✅ Qu'est-ce que ce mot veut dire ?
What does this word mean?
Mistake 6: Using veux as an imperative for "please."
❌ Veux trouver ci-joint...
The imperative of vouloir uses the subjunctive stem. The formal 'please' is veuillez (2nd plural).
✅ Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document demandé.
Please find attached the requested document. (formal correspondence)
Key takeaways
Vouloir expresses desire, willingness, and intent. Memorize the three present-tense stems (veu-, voul-, veul-), the double-r futur stem voudr- that powers the conditionnel voudrais, and the dual subjunctive stems veuill- (most persons) and voul- (nous, vous). The formal imperative veuillez + infinitive ("please ...") is reserved for formal correspondence and notices.
The conditionnel je voudrais is the polite default for shops, restaurants, and any service interaction. Je veux un café sounds blunt; je voudrais un café is normal. When the wanter and the actor differ, French requires que + subjunctive (je veux qu'il vienne) — there is no infinitive equivalent. Three idioms extend the verb's reach: vouloir bien (be willing), en vouloir à (be angry at), and vouloir dire (to mean). The conditionnel passé aurais voulu + infinitive expresses unrealized past desire (j'aurais voulu venir). The passé composé / imparfait split is sharp: j'ai voulu often reads as "tried to," while je voulais describes a past state of desire.
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