Meaning and Usage
The German verb wollen means to want. It is used to express desires, intentions, or wishes. It is a modal verb, meaning it often appears alongside another verb to modify its meaning, conveying what someone "wants to do" something.
Conjugation of wollen
Wollen is an irregular verb and is conjugated differently from regular verbs in German. Below is its present tense conjugation with English equivalents and examples.
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | will | I want | Ich will ein Buch lesen. | I want to read a book. |
| du | willst | you want (singular) | Du willst ins Kino gehen. | You want to go to the cinema. |
| er/sie/es | will | he/she/it wants | Er will Fußball spielen. | He wants to play soccer. |
| wir | wollen | we want | Wir wollen nach Hause gehen. | We want to go home. |
| ihr | wollt | you want (plural) | Ihr wollt zusammen essen. | You want to eat together. |
| sie/Sie | wollen | they/you (formal) want | Sie wollen Deutsch lernen. | They want to learn German. |
Modal verb usage
As a modal verb, wollen needs to be combined with another verb in the infinitive at the end of the sentence. For example, in Ich will Deutsch lernen, lernen is the infinitive verb expressing what is wanted. This structure is common in everyday German when expressing intentions or wishes.
Past tense forms
The simple past tense of wollen is often used in narrative contexts. It also has a subjunctive form to express wishes or polite requests:
| Tense | Example (ich) | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Präteritum (simple past) | Ich wollte ein Auto kaufen. | I wanted to buy a car. |
| Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) | Ich wollte, dass du kommst. | I would like you to come. |
Summary
Wollen is a key modal verb to express wants and intentions. It is irregular and often requires careful attention to verb conjugations and sentence structure, especially in spoken and written German.
