👉 See also: Vouloir Word of the Day lesson and vouloir conjugation charts »
In today’s lesson, we’ll learn how to say “I want” in the most basic way (je veux), as well as two other commonly used variants (je voudrais) and (j’aimerais). Keep reading and we’ll jump right into the example sentences!
je veux
I want
Example sentences
Je veux
Je veux is the first-person singular form of the irregular verb vouloir, which means to want. In our first to example sentences, je veux is followed by an infinitive.
Je veux partir tout de suite !
I want to leave immediately!
Je veux acheter cette poupée pour ma petite-fille.
I want to buy this doll for my granddaughter
Je voudrais
In the conditional tense, je veux becomes je voudrais. This translates literally to “I would want” and means “I would like”. Using this from is considered to be more polite.
Je voudrais
I would like
In our first example sentence, je voudrais is followed by an infinitive. In our second example, it is followed by a noun.
Je voudrais commander, s’il vous plaît.
I’d like to order, please.
Je voudrais un café au lait, s’il vous plaît.
I’d like a café au lait, please
J’aimerais
There is one final way to express “I want” in French: J’aimerais. This is the conditional tense of the verb aimer (to like, to love). J’aimerais and je voudrais are considered to be synonymous.
J’aimerais te parler, s’il te plaît.
I’d like to talk (or speak) to you, please.
Related lessons
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