The verb wollen means “to want” in German. It expresses intentions, desires, or wishes, and can also be used to indicate reported intentions or polite suggestions. It is a modal verb, so it is followed by another verb in the infinitive.
Conjugation Tables
Here are the conjugation tables for wollen in the most important tenses and moods, including how to form past participles and subjunctive forms.
Present Tense (Indikativ Präsens)
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ich will | I want |
| du | du willst | you want |
| er/sie/es | er/sie/es will | he/she/it wants |
| wir | wir wollen | we want |
| ihr | ihr wollt | you (pl.) want |
| sie/Sie | sie/Sie wollen | they/you want |
Complete the German sentence using the correct present tense form of "wollen": They want to travel. (sie wollen)
Sie wollen reisen.
For "sie" (they) in the present tense, the form is "wollen." The correct sentence is "Sie wollen reisen."
Past Tense (Indikativ Präteritum)
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ich wollte | I wanted |
| du | du wolltest | you wanted |
| er/sie/es | er/sie/es wollte | he/she/it wanted |
| wir | wir wollten | we wanted |
| ihr | ihr wolltet | you (pl.) wanted |
| sie/Sie | sie/Sie wollten | they/you wanted |
Complete the German sentence using the correct past tense form of "wollen": I didn’t want to go yesterday. (ich wollen)
Ich wollte gestern nicht gehen.
The past tense form for "ich" is "wollte." The sentence correctly places "nicht" before the infinitive: "Ich wollte gestern nicht gehen."
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ich habe ... gewollt | I have wanted |
Example:*
Ich habe gehen wollen. — I have wanted to go.
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ich wollte | I would want |
| du | du wolltest | you would want |
| er/sie/es | er/sie/es wollte | he/she/it would want |
| wir | wir wollten | we would want |
| ihr | ihr wolltet | you (pl.) would want |
| sie/Sie | sie/Sie wollten | they/you would want |
Note:* Subjunctive II forms look like the simple past but are used for hypothetical situations or polite requests.
Passive Voice (Using “werden” + Past Participle)
wollen is normally used actively. Its past participle is gewollt. It can be part of passive constructions (e.g., … werden ... gewollt), but this is rare and usually in formal or abstract contexts.
Infinitive and Past Participle
| Form | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | wollen | to want |
| Past Participle | gewollt | wanted |
Modal Uses
Modal verbs like wollen are followed by a second verb in the infinitive. For example:
- Ich will schlafen. (I want to sleep.)
- Willst du mitkommen? (Do you want to come along?)
What is the past participle of "wollen" used in perfect tenses?
gewollt
The past participle of "wollen" is "gewollt," which is needed to form the present perfect tense.
Examples
Simple Sentences in Different Tenses
| Tense | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Ich will ins Kino gehen. | I want to go to the cinema. |
| Past | Ich wollte gestern nicht kommen. | I didn’t want to come yesterday. |
| Present Perfect | Ich habe das nicht gewollt. | I haven’t wanted that. |
| Future | Ich werde das machen wollen. | I will want to do that. |
| Subjunctive II | Ich wollte mehr Zeit haben. | I would want to have more time. |
Dependent Clauses
In subordinate clauses (introduced by dass, wenn, ob, etc.), the conjugated verb moves to the end.
| Example | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| dass-clause | Ich weiß, dass du ins Kino gehen willst. | I know that you want to go to the cinema. |
| ob-clause | Sie fragt, ob wir mitkommen wollen. | She asks whether we want to come along. |
| wenn-clause | Wenn ich mehr Geld wollen würde, ... | If I wanted more money, ... |
Indirect Speech
wollen is also used to report someone else’s intentions or statements indirectly.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Er will morgen kommen. (direct) | He wants to come tomorrow. |
| Er sagt, er wolle morgen kommen. (indirect) | He says that he wants to come tomorrow. |
Note the use of wolle in indirect speech (Konjunktiv I).
Summary
- wollen means “to want” and expresses desires or intentions.
- It is a modal verb, so it is followed by another infinitive.
- Key tenses: Präsens (ich will), Präteritum (ich wollte), Perfekt (ich habe gewollt), Konjunktiv II (ich wollte).
- Subordinate clause verbs go to the end (e.g., … gehen willst).
- Indirect speech uses Konjunktiv I (er wolle).
That covers everything you need to know about the German verb wollen—from its meaning and usage to full conjugations and examples.
Flashcards (1 of 31)
- Pronoun: ich
- English: I want
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
