The verb volere (to want)
To express a desire or intention, use the irregular verb volere (to want). As a modal verb, it is typically followed directly by an infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb). Conjugate volere, but leave the action you want to do in the infinitive.
Present tense of volere:
| Pronoun | Volere |
|---|---|
| io | voglio |
| tu | vuoi |
| lui / lei / Lei | vuole |
| noi | vogliamo |
| voi | volete |
| loro | vogliono |
Notice how the second verb (riposare, viaggiare, ballare) does not change:
| I am tired and I want to rest. | Sono stanco e voglio riposare. |
| We want to travel in Italy this month. | Vogliamo viaggiare in Italia questo mese. |
| Why don't you want to dance with me? | Perché non vuoi ballare con me? |
| The girls want to dance at the party tonight. | Le ragazze vogliono ballare alla festa stasera. |
Ordering at a restaurant
Volere is incredibly useful when dining out. Use it with verbs like ordinare (to order) and chiedere (to ask for) to communicate with the waiter (il cameriere).
| Excuse me, waiter, we want to order dinner. | Scusi, cameriere, vogliamo ordinare la cena. |
| The gentleman at the table wants to look at the menu. | Il signore al tavolo vuole guardare il menu. |
| I want to eat a pizza and have the red wine. | Voglio mangiare una pizza e prendere il vino rosso. |
When speaking formally to a stranger, a customer, or someone older, use the formal "you" (Lei), which takes the same verb form as lui or lei (vuole).
| Sir, do you want to order or do you want to ask for the bill? | Signore, vuole ordinare o vuole chiedere il conto? |
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