Je veux protéger mon épargne.

I want to protect my savings.

Breakdown of Je veux protéger mon épargne.

• je: I
• mon: my
• vouloir: to want
• protéger: to protect
• l'épargne: the savings

Questions & Answers about Je veux protéger mon épargne.

Why is it mon épargne and not ma épargne, since épargne is feminine?

Épargne is indeed feminine, but before a feminine noun starting with a vowel (or mute h), French uses mon / ton / son instead of ma / ta / sa to make pronunciation smoother.

• ma épargne is hard to pronounce (two vowel sounds together).
• So it becomes mon épargne (like mon amie, mon habitude, etc.).

Grammatically it’s still feminine; only the possessive adjective changes form for sound reasons.

What’s the structure je veux + infinitive? Do I always use an infinitive after veux?

Yes. Vouloir (to want) is commonly followed by an infinitive without any preposition:

• Je veux protéger mon épargne. – I want to protect my savings.
• Je veux partir. – I want to leave.
• Je veux manger. – I want to eat.

You do not say je veux de protéger or je veux à protéger. Just je veux + infinitive.

Is je veux too direct? Would something else sound more polite?

Je veux is neutral in many contexts, but it can sound quite direct, especially when talking to strangers, in customer service, or in formal situations.

More polite alternatives:

• Je voudrais protéger mon épargne. – I would like to protect my savings.
• J’aimerais protéger mon épargne. – I would like to protect my savings.

In spoken French, je veux is completely normal among friends, family, or in informal contexts.

What’s the difference between épargne, argent, and économies?

They all relate to money, but with different nuances:

• épargne – savings in a financial sense, often used in banking/financial language.
  
  • protéger mon épargne, placer mon épargne, mon épargne retraite.
• économies – the money you’ve put aside by not spending; very common in everyday speech.
  
  • J’ai fait des économies. – I’ve saved up money.
  • Je veux protéger mes économies.
• argent – money in general.
  
  • Je veux protéger mon argent.

In your sentence, mon épargne has a slightly more financial/banking feel than mes économies.

Could I say Je veux protéger mes économies instead? Does it sound natural?

Yes, that’s perfectly natural and very common:

• Je veux protéger mes économies.

Nuance:

• mon épargne – sounds a bit more formal/financial.
• mes économies – everyday, neutral, what many people would naturally say in conversation.

Both are correct; choose based on style or context.

Why is the verb protéger, not garder or sauvegarder?

These verbs don’t mean the same thing:

• protéger – to protect, to keep safe from risks or harm.
  
  • protéger mon épargne = protect my savings from loss, risk, inflation, etc.
• garder – to keep, to hold onto.
  
  • garder mon argent = keep my money, not give it away / not spend it.
• sauvegarder – to back up (data), or to safeguard in a technical/administrative sense.
  
  • Usually used with files, data, settings: sauvegarder un document.

For money at risk, protéger is the natural, idiomatic choice.

How do you pronounce protéger and épargne?

Approximate pronunciation:

• protéger: [pro-té-ʒé]

  • pro – like pro in English.
  • té – like tay.
  • ger – ʒé, like the s in measure
    • ay.

• épargne: [é-par-ɲ]

  • é – like ay.
  • par – like par in party but with a French r.
  • gne – ɲ, like ñ in Spanish España or ny in canyon.

So roughly: pro-tay-zhay mon ay-par-ny.

Do I ever say Je veux de protéger mon épargne with de?

No. With vouloir, you use the bare infinitive:

• ✅ Je veux protéger mon épargne.
• ❌ Je veux de protéger mon épargne.

Some verbs do require de before an infinitive (e.g. essayer de, décider de, éviter de), but vouloir does not.

Why is veux spelled that way? How is vouloir conjugated with je?

Veux is the je (and tu) form of the verb vouloir in the present tense.

Present tense of vouloir:

• 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 in your sentence, je veux is just I want.

Could I say Je protège mon épargne instead of Je veux protéger mon épargne?

You can, but it doesn’t mean the same thing:

• Je veux protéger mon épargne. – You’re expressing a desire or intention: I want to protect my savings / I intend to.
• Je protège mon épargne. – You’re stating what you do (present action or habit): I protect my savings / I am protecting my savings.

Choose je veux protéger if you’re talking about plans or intentions, not current actions.

Why is épargne singular here? In English we say savings (plural).

French often uses a singular abstract noun where English uses a plural:

• l’épargne = savings (as a concept / total amount saved).

So:

• mon épargne – my savings (all of it, in general).
• English uses the plural form savings, but French treats épargne as a singular mass noun.

Can I say Je veux protéger l’épargne instead of mon épargne?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

• Je veux protéger mon épargne. – I want to protect *my savings* (personal).
• Je veux protéger l’épargne. – I want to protect *savings in general / people’s savings / the system of savings.*

The definite article l’ makes it more general or impersonal, often used in economic or political contexts.

Is there any liaison or special linking in Je veux protéger mon épargne?

Two points:

• Je veux protéger – normally no liaison; you just say the words separately.
• mon épargne – there is a natural glide from mon to the vowel é but no consonant liaison. You just avoid a pause: monépargne (smoothly), not mon / épargne with a break.

Overall, it flows as: Je veux / protéger / monépargne.