What level is The Semi-Modal Verb Vouloir (Present Tense)?

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French Conjugation

The Semi-Modal Verb Vouloir (Present Tense)

Conjugating the verb of desire and intent ("to want") to express fundamental human needs.

Level A1 Category Conjugation

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Lesson Summary

Conjugating the verb of desire and intent ("to want") to express fundamental human needs.

Conjugation

Expressing Desire with Vouloir

Vouloir means ‘to want’. It functions as a semi‑modal verb: it is frequently followed by a second verb in the infinitive. The near future construction with aller + infinitive was introduced in the lesson on aller; vouloir + infinitive expresses desire to perform an action.

Conjugation of Vouloir

Subject	Form	Example
je	veux	Je veux un café.
tu	veux	Tu veux aller au cinéma ?
il / elle / on	veut	Elle veut apprendre le français.
nous	voulons	Nous voulons visiter Paris.
vous	voulez	Que voulez-vous faire ?
ils / elles	veulent	Ils veulent une grande maison.

Vouloir + Infinitive

The most frequent pattern is vouloir followed directly by an infinitive:
- Je veux parler français.
- Tu veux manger quelque chose ?
- Nous voulons partir demain.

A noun can also serve as the object: Je veux un croissant. Il veut une nouvelle voiture.

Politeness with Vouloir

For polite requests, the conditional form je voudrais is often used (this form will be studied later). Alternatively, adding bien softens the request: Je veux bien. In informal contexts, je veux is acceptable; to address others politely, vous voulez is standard.

Examples

Je veux étudier la médecine.
Veux (first person singular) + infinitive étudier.
Tu veux du fromage ?
Informal question with tu veux and the partitive du fromage.
Nous voulons aller au Japon cet été.
Voulons + infinitive aller; destination with au Japon.

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These are the main phrases this lesson covers:

The Semi-Modal Verb Vouloir (Present Tense)Conjugating the verb of desire and intent ("to want") to express fundamental human needs.Formulate basic expressions of desire and couple vouloir with secondary infinitive actions.ConjugationA1conjugationLearn French ConjugationFrench ConjugationExpressing Desire with VouloirVouloir means ‘to want’. It functions as a semi‑modal verb: it is frequently followed by a second verb in the infinitive. The near future construction with aller + infinitive was introduced in the lesson on aller; vouloir + infinitive expresses desire to perform an action.