The verb vouloir is how you say "to want" in French. It is highly irregular, so you will need to memorize its forms.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| je | veux |
| tu | veux |
| il / elle / on | veut |
| nous | voulons |
| vous | voulez |
| ils / elles | veulent |
Wanting things
You can use vouloir followed by a noun to say that you want a specific thing.
| I want a job. | Je veux un travail. |
| You want a new job. | Tu veux un nouveau travail. |
Wanting to do things
To say you want to do something, pair the conjugated form of vouloir with a second verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive). The second verb is never conjugated.
| We want to learn with you. | Nous voulons apprendre avec toi. |
| He wants to become a good doctor. | Il veut devenir un bon médecin. |
| I want to go out tonight. | Je veux sortir ce soir. |
When saying you do not want to do something, place ne and pas around the conjugated verb (vouloir). The infinitive stays exactly as it is.
| I do not want to help this boy. | Je ne veux pas aider ce garçon. |
Just like with other verbs, you can use est-ce que at the beginning of a sentence to ask a yes-or-no question about someone's desires.
| Do they want to learn English? | Est-ce qu'ils veulent apprendre l'anglais ? |
| Do you want to stay at home? | Est-ce que vous voulez rester à la maison ? |
Changing things
When talking about changing or switching something, French uses the verb changer followed by de and the noun. Notice that you drop the article (words like un or la) after de!
| We want to change jobs. | Nous voulons changer de travail. |
| I want to change my life. | Je veux changer de vie. |
