voulez-vous coucher avec moi?

what does voulez-vous mean?

If you’ve landed on this page you’re probably wondering, “What does voulez-vous” mean? These French words are heard endlessly in the songs such as Voulez-Vous by Abba and Lady Marmalade (Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir).

Voulez-vous translates to “would you like? or “do you want?” But, what exactly is it and how is it formed?

Voulez-vous in the inversion of the words vous voulez, which mean “you want” in formal language. Vous translates to either you formal or you plural (y’all or you guys). Voulez means want and is the second-person plural (y’all) form of the verb vouloir (to want).

what about voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? is the line heard in the song Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera in the movie Moulin Rouge.

We just learned voulez-vous. This means do you want, or literally “want you?” It would also be written, “Est-ce que vous voulez?”, which also also means do you want?

Coucher means to sleep or go to bed and avec moi means with me. So, Voulez-vous coucher avec moi means do you want to sleep or go to bed with me.

voulez-vous usages in French

Voulez-vous doesn’t just appear in the titles and lyrics of these songs, but is very commonly used in French. Voulez-vous can either be followed by an infinitive (to form of the verb, e.g. to eat) or by a thing or object.

Voulez-vous can also be written are a) Est-ce que vous voulez (mentioned above) and b) Veux-tu? or Est-ce que que tu veux? This is the familiar -tu- form.

Examples:

• Voulez-vous partir demain? Would you want to leave tomorrow?
• Voulez-vous de la glace? Would you like some ice cream?
• Voulez-vous un cafe? Would you like a coffee?

When not inverted you may see the following:

• Qu’est-ce que vous voulez manger? What do you want?
• Où est-ce que vous voulez aller? Where do you want to go?

It’s video time! Let’s watch a video explaining voulez-vouz coucher avec moi?

Video source: Everything About French