By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say what you can do, what you want to do and what you have to do, and ask for permission politely.
Three verbs that lean on another verb
Pouvoir (can), vouloir (to want) and devoir (must, to have to) are very common, and they all work the same way. Like aller in the lesson on the near future, the first verb changes to match the subject, and a second verb follows it in the infinitive. Nothing goes between them.
All three are irregular, but they do have a pattern. The je and tu forms sound identical, and so does the il/elle form. Nous and vous have the usual -ons and -ez.
Pouvoir: can
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | poo-VWAHR | can, to be able to |
| je peux / tu peux | zhuh PUH / tew PUH | I can / you can |
| il peut / elle peut / on peut | eel PUH / el PUH / ohn PUH | he, she can / we can (casual) |
| nous pouvons / vous pouvez | noo poo-VOHN / voo poo-VAY | we can / you can |
| ils peuvent / elles peuvent | eel PUHV / el PUHV | they can |
Tu peux aider Marc ?
Can you help Marc?
Nous pouvons rentrer à Lille.
We can go back to Lille.
Pouvoir is the verb for asking permission and making requests.
- Je peux… ? asks if you may do something: Je peux payer ici ?
- Vous pouvez… ? or Tu peux… ? asks someone to do something: Vous pouvez répéter, s'il vous plaît ?
Vouloir: to want
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| vouloir | voo-LWAHR | to want |
| je veux / tu veux | zhuh VUH / tew VUH | I want / you want |
| il veut / elle veut / on veut | eel VUH / el VUH / ohn VUH | he, she wants / we want (casual) |
| nous voulons / vous voulez | noo voo-LOHN / voo voo-LAY | we want / you want |
| ils veulent / elles veulent | eel VUHL / el VUHL | they want |
Vouloir can go before an infinitive, or before a noun.
Je veux voyager.
I want to travel.
Elles veulent un sandwich.
They want a sandwich.
Tu veux aller au cinéma ?
Do you want to go to the cinema?
Je voudrais, revisited
In the lesson on ordering at a café, you learned je voudrais as a fixed phrase. Now you can see where it comes from: it's a polite form of vouloir, and it means "I would like". Je veux is direct. It's fine with friends, but with staff or strangers it can sound demanding. So use je voudrais with people you call vous.
It works before a noun, and it also works before an infinitive, just as je veux does: Je voudrais payer, s'il vous plaît.
Devoir: must, have to
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| devoir | duh-VWAHR | must, to have to |
| je dois / tu dois | zhuh DWAH / tew DWAH | I must / you must |
| il doit / elle doit / on doit | eel DWAH / el DWAH / ohn DWAH | he, she must / we must (casual) |
| nous devons / vous devez | noo duh-VOHN / voo duh-VAY | we must / you must |
| ils doivent / elles doivent | eel DWAHV / el DWAHV | they must |
Je dois rentrer.
I have to go home.
Vous devez tourner à droite.
You have to turn right.
Making them negative
As with the near future, put ne…pas around the first verb, and leave the infinitive at the end.
Je ne veux pas manger de viande.
I don't want to eat meat.
Il ne peut pas payer par carte.
He can't pay by card.
Here are the extra verbs you'll need for practice. All of them are -er verbs.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| payer | peh-YAY | to pay |
| entrer | ahn-TRAY | to come in, to go in |
| répéter | ray-pay-TAY | to repeat |
| aider | eh-DAY | to help |
Note that répéter follows the -er pattern, with a small change to its accent in some forms: je répète. Payer also has a small spelling change: je paie or je paye. For now, you'll mostly use the infinitive.
Putting it together
Here's a short exchange between two friends making plans.
- Tu veux manger au restaurant ce soir ? (Do you want to eat at the restaurant tonight?)
- Je ne peux pas. Je dois travailler. (I can't. I have to work.)
- Et demain ? (And tomorrow?)
- Oui, je peux demain. Je voudrais aller au cinéma. (Yes, I can tomorrow. I'd like to go to the cinema.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on writing a short message uses these verbs to help you make plans in writing. At the next level, the lesson on common irregular verbs adds more verbs like these.