Vouloir (to want) · Imparfait
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Vouloir in the French imparfait is: je voulais, tu voulais, il/elle/on voulait, nous voulions, vous vouliez, ils/elles voulaient. The imparfait of vouloir keeps the static 'wanted' meaning. Regular from 'voulons' → 'voul-'. Common conversational opener: 'je voulais te dire que...' = 'I wanted to tell you that...' (a soft introduction).
| To Want | Vouloir |
|---|---|
| I used to want | je voulais |
| you used to want | tu voulais |
| he/she used to want | il/elle/on voulait |
| we used to want | nous voulions |
| you used to want | vous vouliez |
| they used to want | ils/elles voulaient |
Vouloir (to want) in context
Sentences that use vouloir in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.
As a child, I wanted to be a firefighter.
You wanted a guitar for Christmas.
She wanted to travel the whole world.
We just wanted to relax.
You wanted to buy this house, right?
They wanted to stay longer.
Working with the imparfait
The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate vouloir in the imparfait?
Why is 'je voulais' so common in conversation?
When do I use 'je voulais' instead of 'j'ai voulu'?
Practice Vouloir (To Want) in real conversations
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