How To Say I Want And I Would Like In French

Author
Written byAmélie Pinon

One of the first things you need to understand in order to learn French is how to say 'I want' and 'I would like'.

How do you say "I want" and "I would like" in French?

Like so:

  • "I want..." in French is je veux....
  • "I would like..." in French is je voudrais....

If you want to learn more (conjugations, sample sentences, etc.), keep reading.

The verb 'to want' in French

What is the verb 'to want' in French?

The verb that translates to "to want" in French is vouloir.

Conjugation of vouloir

This is how you conjugate vouloir in the present tense:

PronounConjugationEnglish Translation
jeveuxI want
tuveuxYou want (singular, informal)
il/elle/onveutHe/She/One wants
nousvoulonsWe want
vousvoulezYou want (plural/formal)
ils/ellesveulentThey want

For past tense, conjugate it like so:

PronounConjugationEnglish Translation
jeai vouluI wanted
tuas vouluYou wanted (singular, informal)
il/elle/ona vouluHe/She/One wanted
nousavons vouluWe wanted
vousavez vouluYou wanted (plural/formal)
ils/ellesont vouluThey wanted

What about 'would like' in French?

How do you say 'would like' (as in, "I would like") in French?

"I would like" in French is je voudrais (a conditional form of vouloir).

Conjugation of "would like"

For this form in the present tense, conjugate vouloir like so:

PronounConjugationEnglish Translation
jevoudraisI would like/want
tuvoudraisYou would like/want (singular, informal)
il/elle/onvoudraitHe/She/One would like/want
nousvoudrionsWe would like/want
vousvoudriezYou would like/want (plural/formal)
ils/ellesvoudraientThey would like/want

And for past tense:

PronounConjugationEnglish Translation
jeai vouluI wanted
tuas vouluYou wanted (singular, informal)
il/elle/ona vouluHe/She/One wanted
nousavons vouluWe wanted
vousavez vouluYou wanted (plural/formal)
ils/ellesont vouluThey wanted

Note that voudrais is a much more polite and slightly formal way of expressing your desire to do something compared with veux.

Voudrais is a conditional form of the verb vouloir, and what this implies is a certain level of politeness (less direct/abrupt).

Veux is more direct.

In a formal setting (e.g. a business meeting or job interview), it's more appropriate to use voudrais to say you want something. But if you're with friends, veux is generally fine.

Examples:

Je veux une banane

I want a banana

Je voudrais une banane

I would like a banana

I hope that clarifies "I want" and "I would like" in French!

If you have any questions, send me a message.

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How To Say I Want And I Would Like In French
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