Learn Hardcore French: Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.

Forms like veut (3rd person singular) or voulais (imperfect: I was wanting / I used to want) would change the meaning or be grammatically wrong with je in this context.

Why is bouger in the infinitive and not conjugated (Je ne veux pas bouge)?

After vouloir (to want), French uses the infinitive of the second verb, just like English uses “to” + verb:

English: I don’t want to move
French: Je ne veux pas bouger.

Structure:

veux = want (conjugated for je)
bouger = to move (infinitive)

Saying Je ne veux pas bouge is incorrect because bouge is a conjugated form (1st person singular present of bouger), and you don’t conjugate the second verb after vouloir; you keep it in the infinitive.

What’s the difference between Je ne veux pas bouger and Je ne bouge pas?

They use different verbs and express different ideas:

Je ne veux pas bouger.
= I don’t want to move.
Focus on desire / will. You’re talking about what you want (or don’t want) to do.
Je ne bouge pas.
= I’m not moving.
Focus on the action right now. You’re saying what is (not) happening, not what you want.

So you can be in a situation where:

Je ne bouge pas, mais je veux bouger.
I’m not moving, but I want to move.

or:

Je bouge, mais je ne veux pas bouger.
I’m moving, but I don’t want to move.

Does bouger always mean “to move yourself,” or can it also mean “to move something”?

Bouger can mean both:

To move oneself / to budge (intransitive)
- Je ne veux pas bouger. – I don’t want to move.
- Ne bouge pas ! – Don’t move!
To move something (transitive, with a direct object)
- Bouge la chaise. – Move the chair.
- Tu peux bouger la table ? – Can you move the table?

There is also se bouger (reflexive/colloquial) meaning something like to get moving / to get off your backside:

Allez, bouge-toi ! – Come on, get moving! (informal)

Where can maintenant go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, maintenant (now) is quite flexible. All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.
Neutral, very common.
Je ne veux pas, maintenant, bouger.
More oral/dramatic; the commas indicate pauses: I don’t want, now, to move.
Maintenant, je ne veux pas bouger.
Emphasizes now: Right now, I don’t want to move.
Je ne veux pas, bouger, maintenant.
Feels a bit over-dramatic/marked; you’d see this more in spoken, emotive speech.

The most natural everyday versions are:

Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.
Maintenant, je ne veux pas bouger.

Why isn’t there a de before bouger, like Je ne veux pas de bouger?

With verbs like vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, you put the infinitive directly after the verb, without de:

Je veux manger. – I want to eat.
Je peux venir. – I can come.
Je dois partir. – I must leave.
Je ne veux pas bouger. – I don’t want to move.

Using de here (Je ne veux pas de bouger) is incorrect.

There are verbs that do take de + infinitive:

J’ai peur de bouger. – I’m afraid to move.
J’essaie de bouger. – I’m trying to move.

So:

vouloir + infinitive → no de
certain other verbs + de + infinitive

Why isn’t it n’ instead of ne in Je ne veux pas?

Ne becomes n’ only before a word that starts with a vowel sound or a mute h:

Je n’aime pas ça. (before aime)
Je n’habite pas ici. (before habite with mute h)

In veux, the first sound is a consonant /v/, so ne stays ne:

Je ne veux pas. ✔
Je n’veux pas. ✘ (not standard; you might hear something similar very informally, but it’s not correct writing)

How would this sentence sound in everyday spoken French? Is there a more natural version?

The written, standard form is:

Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.

In everyday spoken French, people often drop ne:

Je veux pas bouger maintenant. (very common)

Depending on the context, you might also hear more idiomatic alternatives like:

J’ai pas envie de bouger maintenant.
I don’t feel like moving now.
Là, j’ai pas envie de bouger.
Right now, I don’t feel like moving.

All of these are natural in speech; for formal writing, stay with Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.

How do you pronounce veux, bouger, and maintenant?

Approximate pronunciations (in IPA and with English-friendly hints):

veux → /vø/
- One syllable.
- Similar to saying English “vuh”, but with rounded lips (like you’re saying “eu” in French peur).
bouger → /bu.ʒe/
- Two syllables: bou
  - ger
- bou like boo in English.
- g here is soft: /ʒ/, like the “s” in “vision” or “measure”.
- -er at the end sounds like “ay”.
maintenant → /mɛ̃t(ə)nɑ̃/
- Usually heard as 2 or 3 quick syllables, e.g. [mɛ̃t.nɑ̃], [mɛ̃.tə.nɑ̃].
- main-: nasal vowel /ɛ̃/, similar to meh while letting air resonate through your nose.
- -ten-: often reduced or almost swallowed in fast speech.
- -nant: nasal /ɑ̃/, somewhat like “ah” but nasal.

Put together, a fairly natural spoken version:

Je ne veux pas bouger maintenant.
/ʒə nə vø pa buʒe mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/
In fast speech: [ʒə vø pa buʒe mɛ̃t.nɑ̃] (dropping ne and reducing vowels).

Is Je ne veux pas bouger stronger or weaker than just saying Non?

They’re different in precision and tone:

Non.
Just No. Very short and general; it could answer many different questions.
Je ne veux pas bouger.
Very clear about what you refuse: I don’t want to move.

If someone says:

Tu viens ? – Are you coming?

Possible answers:

Non. – No. (simple refusal)
Je ne veux pas bouger. – I don’t want to move. (explains the reason/refusal more clearly)

So Je ne veux pas bouger isn’t necessarily “stronger,” but it’s more explicit and adds your lack of desire to move, not just a yes/no.