Je veux la même chose.

I want the same thing.

Breakdown of Je veux la même chose.

• je: I
• vouloir: to want
• la chose: the thing
• même: same

Questions & Answers about Je veux la même chose.

1. What does each word in Je veux la même chose mean, and what verb is veux?

• Je = I
• veux = want (present tense, 1st person singular of the verb vouloir = to want)
• la = the (feminine singular definite article)
• même = same
• chose = thing

So literally: Je veux la même chose = I want the same thing.
The full present-tense conjugation of vouloir (indicative) is:

• 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 or formal)
• ils / elles veulent – they want

2. Is Je veux too direct or rude compared to Je voudrais?

Yes, it can be, depending on the situation.

• Je veux la même chose.
  Literally I want the same thing.
  In many contexts (especially with strangers: waiter, shop clerk, etc.) this can sound too direct or a bit demanding.

• Je voudrais la même chose.
  Literally I would like the same thing.
  This is more polite and is the standard choice in restaurants, shops, or any polite request.

With friends or family, Je veux la même chose can be perfectly fine and neutral, but in a service or formal context, prefer:

• Je voudrais la même chose, s’il vous plaît.
• Je prendrais la même chose, s’il vous plaît. (I’ll have the same thing, please.)

3. Why is la used here? Could I say Je veux même chose or Je veux une même chose?

You need the in French in this pattern; you cannot drop the article:

• Je veux la même chose. ✅
• Je veux même chose. ❌ (article is missing)
• Je veux une même chose. ❌ (sounds wrong/unnatural)

When you say the same X in French, you normally use the definite article:

• la même chose – the same thing
• le même livre – the same book
• les mêmes questions – the same questions

It usually refers to something already known from context (e.g. what someone else just ordered), so la fits well: it’s “that same thing we’re talking about”, not just any random “same thing”.

4. Why la and not le? What gender is chose, and how does that affect the sentence?

Chose is always feminine in French.

• une chose – a thing
• la chose – the thing

Because chose is feminine singular, all the related words agree with it:

• la (not le)
• même in its feminine singular form (which happens to look the same as the masculine singular même)

So you get:

• la même chose – the same thing (feminine singular)

If the noun were masculine, you’d use le:

• le même repas – the same meal (masculine)

If it were plural, you’d use les mêmes:

• les mêmes choses – the same things (feminine plural)

5. Why is même placed before chose? Would la chose même mean the same thing?

No, la même chose and la chose même do not mean the same thing.

• la même chose
  = the same thing (as something else already mentioned)
  This is what you use here. Même before the noun expresses “same”.

• la chose même
  = roughly the very thing / the thing itself
  This sounds more literary or emphatic and is relatively rare in everyday speech.

So in your sentence, the normal, everyday structure is:

• la même chose – “the same thing”

French often places adjectives before the noun when they’re short and very frequent (like petit, grand, même, autre, beau, bon, etc.), and that position can also change the meaning, as you see here.

6. Can I drop Je veux and just say La même chose, s’il vous plaît?

Yes, and people do that all the time.

In real conversations, especially when ordering or responding quickly, it’s very common to leave out the subject and verb if the meaning is clear:

• La même chose, s’il vous plaît. – The same thing, please.
• La même, s’il vous plaît. – The same (one), please.

This is understood as Je voudrais / Je vais prendre la même chose.
So:

• With friends/family, La même or La même chose is very natural.

• With strangers (waiter, bartender), add s’il vous plaît for politeness:

  • La même chose, s’il vous plaît. ✅

7. How do I say “I want the same thing as you / as him / as that”?

You use la même chose que…:

• Je veux la même chose que toi. – I want the same thing as you. (informal “you”)
• Je veux la même chose que vous. – I want the same thing as you. (formal or plural)
• Je veux la même chose que lui. – …as him.
• Je veux la même chose qu’elle. – …as her.
• Je veux la même chose que ça. – …as that. (possible but not very elegant; you’d usually be more specific)

Polite versions:

• Je voudrais la même chose que lui, s’il vous plaît.
• Je vais prendre la même chose qu’elle, s’il vous plaît.

8. How would I say “I want the same things” in the plural?

You make both the article and même plural:

• Je veux les mêmes choses. – I want the same things.

Agreement pattern:

• Singular: la même chose – the same thing
• Plural: les mêmes choses – the same things

More examples with other nouns:

• le même film / les mêmes films – the same film / the same films
• la même couleur / les mêmes couleurs – the same color / colors

9. Are there other ways to say “the same thing,” like with pareil or identique?

Yes, there are alternatives, each with its own feel:

1. pareil / pareille (similar, the same, alike)

   • Je veux pareil. – I want the same (thing). (quite informal/elliptical)
   • C’est pareil. – It’s the same / It’s all the same.

   Pareil is more about similarity and is common in speech.

2. identique (identical)

   • Je veux quelque chose d’identique. – I want something identical.
     Sounds a bit more formal / precise than le même.

3. comme (like, as)

   • Je veux la même chose que toi. – I want the same thing as you.
   • Je veux un café comme lui. – I want a coffee like him / like the one he has.

For everyday “the same thing” in most contexts, la même chose is the default, most neutral expression.

10. How do you pronounce Je veux la même chose?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA: [ʒə vø la mɛm ʃoz]

Piece by piece:

• Je: [ʒə] – like “zhuh” (the j is like the s in measure).
• veux: [vø] – the x is silent; eu is like French peu, no direct English equivalent, somewhere between uh and eu.
• la: [la] – “lah”.
• même: [mɛm] – like mem in English; final e is silent, ê is an open “eh” sound.
• chose: [ʃoz] – “shohz”; ch = “sh”; final e is silent but the s is voiced as [z].

There is no liaison between même and chose: you say [mɛm ʃoz], not [mɛm‿ʃoz] with an extra sound.

11. Does Je veux always refer to right now, or can it refer to the near future like in English?

French present tense is quite flexible, like in English.

Je veux la même chose mainly means:

• I want the same thing (now / in this situation).

In context (for example at a restaurant), it naturally refers to your immediate choice in the near future, just as English I want the same thing does.

If you want to be more explicitly future or planned, you can change the verb:

• Je vais prendre la même chose. – I’m going to have the same thing.
• Je prendrai la même chose. – I’ll have the same thing. (more formal/neutral future)

But in everyday speech when ordering, people are very happy with present or conditional forms:

• Je prends la même chose. – I’ll take / I’m having the same thing.
• Je voudrais la même chose. – I’d like the same thing.