Level A1 (Beginner)
Discover the French verb souhaiter, essential for expressing wishes, hopes, and desires. This lesson will show you how to use this versatile verb in everyday conversation.
Meaning
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Present tense conjugation
Meaning
Souhaiter primarily translates to “to wish,” “to hope to,” or “to want.” It’s a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugations follow a simple pattern. The word is often used to express personal desires or to wish something good upon someone, such as “Je te souhaite un bon anniversaire” (I wish you a happy birthday).
Pronunciation
Example sentences
For this first sentence, “Qu’est-ce que tu souhaites faire plus tard dans la vie ?” could also translate loosely to “What do you want to do when you grow up”?
Qu’est-ce que tu souhaites faire plus tard dans la vie ?
What do you wish to do later in life?
For this second sentence, faire un voyage (literally to do/make a trip) means “to take a trip”.
Un jour, je souhaite faire un grand voyage en Europe.
One day, I hope to take a big trip in Europe.
This sentence uses the noun un souhait, meaning “a wish”. The verb souffler means to blow or to breathe out.
Je fais un souhait avant de souffler les bougies.
I make a wish before blowing out the candles.
Present tense conjugation
Souhaiter is a regular ER verb. This means that its conjugation pattern is the same as parler (to speak).
Je souhaite I wish
Tu souhaites You wish (singular, informal)
Il, elle souhaite He, she wishes
Nous souhaitons We wish
Vous souhaitez You wish (plural, formal)
Ils, elles souhaitent They wish
More sentences with souhaiter
- Je souhaite que tu réussisses dans la vie. I hope you succeed in life.
- Nous vous souhaitons la bienvenue ! We welcome you!
- Je vous souhaite bonne chance dans la vie ! I wish you good luck in life!
- Je souhaite la bonne année à tous mes amis. I wish all my friends a happy new year.
Word origin
The Modern French souhaiter comes from the Gallo-Roman subtushaitare (to promise in a manner without over engaging).
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Reference
