Paul veut défendre sa famille.

Paul wants to defend his family.

Breakdown of Paul veut défendre sa famille.

• Paul: Paul
• la famille: the family
• vouloir: to want
• sa: his
• défendre: to defend

Questions & Answers about Paul veut défendre sa famille.

Why is it sa famille and not son famille, since Paul is male?

In French, possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes, son, sa, ses, etc.) agree with the gender and number of the noun possessed, not with the person who owns it.

• famille is a feminine singular noun.
• So you must use sa (feminine singular), not son (masculine singular).

Examples:

• Paul aime sa famille. – Paul loves his family.
• Marie aime sa famille. – Marie loves her family.

Both use sa, because in both cases the possessed noun is famille (feminine).

What verb form is veut, and what tense is it?

Veut is the third person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb vouloir (to want) in the present tense.

Conjugation of vouloir in the present:

• je veux – I want
• tu veux – you want (singular, informal)
• il / elle / on veut – he / she / one wants
• nous voulons – we want
• vous voulez – you want (plural/formal)
• ils / elles veulent – they want

So Paul veut = Paul wants.

Why is défendre in the infinitive form here?

After vouloir (to want), French uses the infinitive for the action that is wanted, just like English uses to + verb:

• Paul veut défendre sa famille.
  = Paul wants to defend his family.

Structure:

• subject
  • conjugated vouloir
    • infinitive (+ object)

More examples:

• Je veux manger. – I want to eat.
• Ils veulent partir. – They want to leave.

Can I say Paul veut sa famille défendre instead?

No. French word order is more rigid than English. You cannot move the infinitive to the end like that.

The correct order is:

• Subject + conjugated verb + infinitive + object

So:

• ✅ Paul veut défendre sa famille.
• ❌ Paul veut sa famille défendre.

Does défendre always mean “to defend”? I heard it can mean “to forbid” too.

Défendre has two main meanings:

1. To defend / protect

   • Paul veut défendre sa famille. – Paul wants to defend his family.

2. To forbid / prohibit – but only in a specific structure:

   • défendre à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose
   • Le médecin lui défend de fumer. – The doctor forbids him to smoke.

In Paul veut défendre sa famille, there is no “à quelqu’un de” structure, so the meaning is clearly to defend, not to forbid.

What’s the difference between défendre and protéger here?

Both can be translated as to protect, but there is a nuance:

• Défendre = to defend, often suggests reacting against a danger, an attack, or an accusation.
• Protéger = to protect, often slightly broader and less “combative”.

So:

• Paul veut défendre sa famille.
  Focus on defending them against something (danger, criticism, attack).
• Paul veut protéger sa famille.
  Focus on keeping them safe, protecting them in general.

Both sentences are natural, but défendre sounds a bit more active/combative.

Why is it sa famille and not just famille without a possessive?

In French, you usually must show possession with family nouns if you mean his family / her family / my family, etc.

• sa famille – his family / her family
• ma famille – my family

Just famille on its own would normally need an article:

• La famille est importante. – Family is important. (family in general)
• Sa famille est importante. – His/her family is important. (specific person’s family)

In Paul veut défendre sa famille, we’re clearly talking about Paul’s own family, so the possessive sa is required.

How would I say “Paul doesn’t want to defend his family” in French?

Use the regular ne … pas negation around the conjugated verb veut:

• Paul ne veut pas défendre sa famille.
  = Paul does not want to defend his family.

Structure:

• subject + ne + conjugated verb + pas + infinitive + object

Spoken French often drops ne:

• Paul veut pas défendre sa famille. (informal)

Can you help with the pronunciation of Paul veut défendre sa famille?

Approximate pronunciation (standard French):

• Paul → /pɔl/ (like “Poll”)
• veut → /vø/ (similar to “vuh” but with rounded lips)
• défendre → /defɑ̃dʁ/
  
  • dé = /de/ (like “day”)
  • fen = /fɑ̃/ (nasal “an” sound)
  • dre = /dʁ/ (the re is almost not heard, just a brief dr with a French r)
• sa → /sa/ (like “sah”)
• famille → /famij/ (“fa-mee” + a short “y” sound at the end)

Full sentence:
Paul veut défendre sa famille. → /pɔl vø defɑ̃dʁ sa famij/

Could I drop the subject and just say Veut défendre sa famille?

Not in standard French. Unlike Spanish or Italian, French normally requires the subject to be expressed, because the verb ending alone usually isn’t enough to clearly indicate the subject.

So:

• ✅ Paul veut défendre sa famille.
• ❌ Veut défendre sa famille. (incomplete in normal French)

The only time you omit the subject is in imperatives (commands), e.g. Défends ta famille ! – Defend your family!

What’s the difference between Paul veut défendre sa famille and Paul voudrait défendre sa famille?

• Paul veut défendre sa famille.
  = Paul wants to defend his family.
  This is direct and neutral.

• Paul voudrait défendre sa famille.
  = Paul would like to defend his family.
  This is more polite / tentative / hypothetical, or can suggest a wish that might be difficult to realize.

So veut is stronger and more straightforward; voudrait softens the idea.